NEWS RELEASE

September 17, 1996  For Immediate Release

GOODALE WRONG TO BLAME HIS STALLING ON "DISPUTE BETWEEN FARMERS"

"Covered-up Angus Reid survey shows only 8% of farmers want status quo in CWB."

OTTAWA -- Today, Garry Breitkreuz, MP for Yorkton-Melville, spoke up in the House of Commons for the two-thirds of western grain farmers who would like to see a "major overhaul" (32%) or "minor imporvements" (36%) of the Canadian Wheat Board.  Breitkreuz was quoting directly from the results of an Angus Reid survey commissioned by Agriculture Canada and leaked to the media yesterday.  "It's very disappointing that the Minister of Agriculture has to spend more tax dollars on a poll, and then when we find out about it, his officals won't release the results to either farmers or Members of Parliament.  Why does he treat farmers like mushrooms -- keeping them in the dark and feeding them manure?"

Here is what Breitkreuz said in the House of Commons:

"When Reformers asked the Minister of Agriculture what he would do to improve the operations and accountability of the Canadian Wheat Board, the Minister always dodged the question by saying "Wait for the report" of his hand picked Western Grain Marketing Panel.  Now this same minister ignored their recommendations.  Why?

In the Ag Minister's recent open letter to farmers he says that it's the quality of the support that he is considering more than the quantity.  Read his lips: His opinions will take priority over the opinions of the majority of farmers.  If the Marketing Panel's unanimous report isn't a quality report, what else could possibly be good enough?  Why did he even commission this panel of experts?

The Minister tries to excuse his inaction by saying this is a "dispute between groups of farmers".  WRONG!  He's the one who created and fuelled the division.  Who should control the Canadian Wheat Board -- Prairie farmers or the Minister and his bureaucrats?

It is the Ministers' own weakness, indecisiveness, and lack of action for the past three years that is going to destroy a valuable marketing tool for Western Farmers.  What about the broken election promise for a plebiscite?"

In June of 1993, then Liberal leader and now Prime Minister promised a producer plebiscite on the barley issue.  In November 1993, The Minister of Agriculture said that plebiscites are "the most appropriate vehicle by which to determine what farmers' preferences are."  "Everyone is wondering when will the Minister hold a plebiscite on the recommendations made by his Western Grain marketing Panel?" asked Breitkreuz. 

"Can anyone blame farmers for showing a high level of frustration if for three years they have waited for the Minister to make good on his election promise to let them have a real say in how their grain is marketed?  The division the Minister says exists amongst farmers wouldn't exists if the administrative changes would have been made years ago to let farmers modernize and control the Board," concluded Breitkreuz.

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