Viterra terminal in Maple Creek, September 19, 2011, 7:04 PM
CWB to be or not to be
Tisdale - Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Since the beginning of this web site back in 199,8 a few issues of dominated discussion both as editorials and news stories. Health care has been one of those and the other focuses on the pursuit of free for all capitalism. There are a few people who believe that unless every one works for themselves and only for themselves, then they are somehow a sort of communist. Clearly, this a distortion of reality, but oddly enough, those same folks tend to admire ignorance, distrust education and have a very serious disregard for rational arguments. This seems to be the case with the issue of the Canadian Wheat Board.
It would seem like a no brainer to realise that individual farmers don’t stand a chance in the open market and in a recent vote a majority of farmers indicated that they agree with the continued operation of the wheat board. However, the prime minister and his “reform/alliance/neoConservative” know that the Canadian Wheat Board is a major thorn in the side of the business practices of our American neighbours. The present government and its leadership have made promises to the Americans and to each other, to get this communist operation destroyed.
From the very beginning of his role as prime minister of Canada Stephen Harper has clearly stated that he was going to shut down the Canadian Wheat Board. We really need to understand what that might do to the prairie agricultural industry. In 2007 Albert Horner and David Orchard wrote a story they called “War on the Plains” that walks us through the consequences of the destruction of the Canadian Wheat Board. This is not the only such explanation but it is a very compelling argument and must be considered. Back in 1999 Edwin Wallace pointed out in a story “the wheat board as we know it will soon be gone” the basic underlying premise as to why the marketing system of the Wheat Board and the capitalist system are pretty much at odds with one another. He also points out that only a very few farmers would gain any advantage by its demise while almost everyone else in the production business would lose.
Through the years this web site has posted dozens of stories about this issue. Some very emotional, some very condemning of the tactics used in the process but common sense suggests that if the Wheat Board is disbanded and people realise it was a good thing surly under another future government things could be straightened out and a new modern grain marketing board put back into business. In April 2007 William Dascavich from Edmonton explained in his story “CWB e-mail” that under Chapter 11 of NAFTA this would simply not be an option.
Through this war of words and the occasional vote various organisations have expressed their opinion on what the single desk marketing system means to their members. In August of 2006 a group of members of the National Farmer’s Union listed the points they see as being fundamental in keeping the present system in their article “Canada can’t afford not to have the Wheat Board.”
The Harper government has had support, some of it from organisations that seem to be legitimate until you dig a little deeper and discover that they are essentially lobby groups working on behalf of political remnants of the Reform Party and the Canadian Alliance. It would seem that the ideological under pinnings of the issue are not very far from the reasons that there is support of any kind for the prime minister’s agenda. Joyce Neufeld from Waldeck is a long time farmer’s union supporter and a solid supporter of the NDP and you can see in her 2006 story “Canadian Wheat Board or Cargill” her own political bias as she points out the strident pro-Harper position of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers organisation. In January 2000 Edwin Wallace pointed out that this organisation did not seem to be a typical Canadian agricultural group in his story “ No need to worry about the Western Wheat Growers.”
So many of those who have written about this issue really are extremely passionate about their feelings and we might feel that they are overstating their case, or over emphasising the importance of what the government is about to do. Many of the stories have matched the rhetoric of the prime minister and his cabinet ministers who have waged their campaign on a “take no prisoners” basis. Over the years Stu Innes a farmer who’s farm is south of Regina has pointed out a much less passionate position as he simply wants the right to sell when and to whom he wants. Writing about last week’s story by Henry Neufeld “Crushing the Canadian Wheat Board” Stu write about “Crushing the monopoly.”
Herb Schulz, who lives in Winnipeg Manitoba asked a question that hits pretty much at the base line of the Wheat Board argument. Though I have stated that the bottom line is that of ideology but that may be only one way of looking at it as the real issue might be who is going to benefit from the destruction of the Wheat Board. In his story “Whose interests are being served by the demise of the Canadian Wheat Board?” Herb reflects on the early days of his city and the massive wealth accumulated in Winnipeg even during the height of the great depression.
We in Saskatchewan are about to elect our provincial government, the present premier has clearly indicated his support for the Harper agenda and the destruction of the Canadian Wheat Board. It is a good time to let the premier know where you stand on this issue. This is what Brian Marlatt of White Rock British Columbia has to say about this matter in his story; “Canadian Wheat Board: 2011’s Attempted Potash Sell Out.”
Below is a list of just a few of the stories that have been posted on Ensign as the Harper agenda has moved forward.
Neufeld, Joyce, Anti-Canadian Wheat Board Rhetoric, January 13, 2003, Ensign
Neufeld, Henry, Why the big hurry? September 30, 2006, Ensign
Dascavich, William, Farmers could end up with a freight bill instead of a cheque, November 13, 2006, Ensign
Eliason, Jan, Nothing fair about the Wheat Board barley vote, February 13, 2007, Ensign
Neufeld, Joyce, Truth and the Canadian Wheat Board, June 22, 2007, Ensign
Neufeld, Joyce, Saskatchewan Party sides with Federal Tories, September 18, 2007, Ensign
Macklin, Art, Ritz redundant demand for second AG audit of CWB, March 10, 2009, Ensign
Neufeld, Joyce, Embracing democracy, February 25, 2011, Ensign
