Monday, December 8, 2008

Why didn’t Harper simply prorogue the Canadian Wheat Board?


December 8, 2008

Farmers choose single desk in CWB elections: Easter


OTTAWA - The single-desk selling authority of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) received a major vote of confidence with results of the director elections announced yesterday, said Liberal Agriculture Critic Wayne Easter.

"In spite of the unethical and illegitimate efforts of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Conservative Party of Canada to undermine the integrity of the CWB and influence the vote, western Canadian farmers overwhelmingly voted in favour of the single desk," said Mr. Easter. "This result is a repudiation of the intimidation tactics and unethical interventions by his government."

On Sunday, the results of the CWB Board of Directors election were released showing four of the five directors elected being strong Wheat Board supporters.

"Over the last few weeks, all Canadians have been exposed to the illegitimate and ideologically driven agenda of this Prime Minister - something western farmers have been exposed to for more than two years. Mr. Harper has shown he will say and do anything, including circumventing the principles democracy, to impose his own ideology," said Mr. Easter.

"The fate of the CWB should and must be decided by western Canadian grain farmers, not by politicians in Ottawa. Western Canadian grain farmers have stood up to Mr. Harper's tactics and sent a clear message that they and not the Prime Minister will decide the CWB's future," he said.

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5 comments:

Dr Mike said...

It just goes to show you that the only way to deal with a bully is to stand-up to him.

The CWB made Harper fold---the Coalition can do the same thing.

Hang tough boys , your day will come.

Dr Mike.

Anonymous said...

Drink more Kool Aid, the coalition is dead and the communist wheat board is next.

Dr Mike said...

The common denominator in both cases is Harper--remove him , that would be easier.

Dr Mike.

Fillibluster said...

Hey anono-mouse:

I guess you would have us believe that OPEC is also communist?

Or that Hapless Harper's leadership is alive?

Brent Fullard

Marginalized Action Dinosaur said...

I think we need to make Quebec and Ontario Subject to the CWB.

Funny the parties who like the CWB don't actually have one MP in an area under the CWB auspices. Funnier is that no one has clued on to that.

Who cares if everyone isn't allowed to vote, great move for undemocracy.
http://www.siemenssays.com/?p=13135

“The odds are stacked against us when CWB records are used as the basis for determining the initial voters list,” says Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, President of the Wheat Growers. “The election rules should be changed so that all bona fide grain farmers automatically receive a ballot, regardless of whether they deliver grain to the Board.”

Surveys of prairie farmers consistently show that most favour a voluntary CWB, where individual farmers would be permitted to sell their grain to the CWB or to any other buyer. For example, the results of a plebiscite among prairie barley growers released in March 2007 found that 62% of farmers did not support the CWB monopoly over barley. The CWB’s own surveys also confirm that most farmers support a voluntary CWB for both wheat and barley.