November
20, 2001
For Immediate Release
Motion To Modernize the
Canadian Wheat Board Dies On Floor Of The House of Commons
“Liberal
MP’s from Ontario squash an attempt by Western farmers to claim property
rights.”
OTTAWA – Yesterday in the House of Commons Garry
Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, introduced a Private Members motion that
would have seen the Canadian Wheat Board Act amended. The mandate of the Board would have changed from marketing in
an orderly manner to marketing to maximize the return for producers.
The second change would have provided farmers with an opting out clause
to allow them to market and process their grain outside of the Wheat Board for a
minimum of two years.
Most Western MPs supported the
motion, but Liberals from Ontario ensured it died on the Commons floor. A July survey in Yorkton-Melville also demonstrated that over
80% of constituents wanted this change in the Wheat Board’s mandate.
In his House of Commons speech,
Breitkreuz pointed out why these amendments were necessary.
“From killing value added ventures, to the buy-back where organic
producers lose money going through the CWB; it is clear to me and many other
farmers that the Wheat Board does not always work in their best interests,”
said Breitkreuz.
Breitkreuz also pointed out that
this is a property rights issue. The
courts of Canada are not recognizing 800 years of common law tradition and the
Canadian Bill of Rights that give property rights to every citizen. “Property rights should be a fundamental right that all
Canadians enjoy. However, the
farmer growing good quality wheat and barley in three provinces in Canada does
not own that grain until he buys it back from the Canadian Wheat Board.
“What if lawyers in Ontario and
Quebec had to market their services through a central marketing agency that
would set the price and how they were paid?
What if they were not allowed to deal directly with clients or be
rewarded for their initiative? Lawyers
wouldn’t tolerate a government monopoly.
Why should a western farmer be discriminated against?” asked
Breitkreuz.
Support for the motion came from
Canadian Alliance Agriculture Critic Howard Hilstrom, Wheat Board Critic David
Anderson, Souris-Moose Mountain MP Roy Bailey, and a number of other members.
Breitkreuz tried twice during the
debate to keep the motion alive by requesting that the motion be declared
voteable or sent to the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food for
further study. Liberal MPs from the
province of Ontario – a province where the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly does
not apply, thwarted this attempt.
“The death of this motion in the
House should make it clear that this Liberal government does not respect the
property rights of farmers. If we
don’t make some changes to the Canadian Wheat Board by making it more open and
accountable to farmers we are in danger of losing the Board altogether,”
concluded Breitkreuz.
To see Garry's speech click here.
To
read the entire debate click
here.
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