Edited Hansard • Number 200
Friday, June 7, 2002
[Hansard - Page 12343]
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton—Melville, Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, next week five farmers will go on trial in Lethbridge, Alberta for exporting their own grain into the United States. The sad and hypocritical fact is that if they had lived in Ontario or Quebec they would not have broken any laws. On March 4 a National Post editorial titled “Prairie Injustice” pointed out the real problem:
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It is unconscionable that farmers may not legally sell the fruits of their labour to whomever they please-- |
The Liberal government simply overrides fundamental property rights whenever it suits its agenda and fails to understand the concept of freedom of contract.
Here is another outrageous example: Organic farmers in the prairies are forced to sell their grain to the wheat board and buy it back before they can sell it to their customers. This, despite the fact that the board does not even market organic grains. Bill and Myrita Rees in my riding estimate the cost to them on a 1,000 bushel load of grain is $2,800.
When is this government going to start treating prairie farmers just like other Canadian farmers?