NEWS RELEASE

June 17, 1998 For Immediate Delivery

MANNING ASSIGNS BREITKREUZ DEPUTY AGRICULTURE CRITIC

"No matter what my title has been in Ottawa, I’ve always fought for farmers’ rights – now it’s official."

Yorkton – Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, is pleased with his new assignment as one of the Official Opposition Critics for Agriculture and Agri-Food. In announcing his new Shadow Cabinet, Reform Leader Preston Manning said, "Garry has made a name for himself fighting the Liberal gun control laws and representing the Official Opposition on justice issues. He returns to Agriculture to put more emphasis for Reform on an important national issue. Garry will ensure that Agriculture issues will remain in the spotlight during the 36^th Parliament."

Breitkreuz commented, "Since being elected in 1993, I have always been keenly interested and involved in what’s going on the agriculture portfolio. No matter what my title has been in Ottawa, I have always fought for farmers’ rights back home. The only difference is that now it’s official."

Earlier this year, Breitkreuz made headlines with his fight against the government’s Bill C-4, an Act to amend the Canadian Wheat Board Act. He introduced amendments in Parliament, which if they had passed, would have changed the purpose of the statute from "orderly marketing" to "securing the best financial return to producers." An opting-out provision would have allowed producers to exclude one or more types of grain from CWB control for a minimum of five years, and a sunset clause would have repealed the Act if the Auditor General determined that the Board had not met its objective of maximizing the return to producers.

Breitkreuz is more often referred to in the media as Reform’s gun control critic. He had these reassuring words for his supporters in Yorkton-Melville and all across Canada, "Since being elected in 1993, I have held four different critic assignments. For all that time, I have been speaking out on behalf of my constituents who oppose all gun control laws that waste tax dollars, waste police resources, and do not make our streets and communities safer. Rest assured, as long as I am a Member of Parliament, I will continue this fight with the same vigor and enthusiasm as I have over the last five years." Breitkreuz concluded, "My bill to strengthen property rights (Bill C-304) is coming up for debate this fall and I expect both farmers and gun owners will be joining forces against the Liberal government to fight for this fundamental human right in federal law."

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For more information please call
The Office of Garry Breitkreuz, M.P.

Yorkton: (306) 782-3309
Ottawa: (613) 992-4394