A coalition of 46 groups and organizations is calling on Ottawa to hold a binding vote to decide the future of the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk powers in Western Canada.
An open letter was delivered to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Members of Parliament, and Senators asking for a binding vote by farmers before any substantive change to the CWB’s single desk authority is initiated.
The organizations represented by the coalition are calling for Ottawa to support Canadian food, Canadian farmers, and the Canadian Wheat Board.
The content of the letter is as follows:
Dear Prime Minister Harper, Members of Parliament, and Senators:
Bill C-18, if passed, will destroy the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has repeatedly stated that he will not recognize the plebiscite recently conducted by the CWB, in which results were clearly in favour of keeping the CWB as the sole marketing agent for prairie wheat and barley intended for human consumption.
The CWB was created by an Act of Parliament, and is run by a 15-member Board of Directors, 10 of whom are elected by farmers. The Wheat Board provides fair, equitable, reliable, and cost-effective services to farm families. It provides stability in uncertain times, and is a foundation of Canada’s grain sector.
Ending the single desk authority of the CWB would throw western agriculture into turmoil and would transfer wealth created by Canadian farmers to big, private, often foreign-owned grain companies—money now returned to farmers, who spend it in their communities. The Minneapolis Grain Exchange has already changed its rules to allow for speculation in futures contracts for Canadian wheat and barley — a move which will increase price volatility for purchasers without providing any benefit to farmers.
Canada’s political system is built on representative democracy. This means that the law, not merely the person in power, is to be respected and followed. The CWB Act is a law made by Parliament, and it requires a farmer vote before any substantive changes are made to the single desk authority. Our current government is ignoring this law—refusing to hold the required vote—and moving to eliminate the requirement for a vote. This is deeply concerning, as it strikes at the heart of our Canadian democracy.
We the undersigned:
· Recognize the billions of dollars of economic value that the CWB creates each year—for farmers, rural communities, short line railroads, and the whole of Canada—as a result of its superior marketing ability, capacity to defend Canadian interests in trade disputes, and commitment to return to farmers all net proceeds from sales.
· Are proud of the strong international reputation for quality and reliability that Canadian wheat and barley have earned—a direct result of the CWB and its companion institutions, the Canadian Grain Commission and Canadian International Grains Institute.
· Deplore the government’s disregard for the outcome of the recent plebiscite in which 62 per cent of farmers voted in favour of keeping the single desk for wheat and 51 per cent supported keeping the single desk for barley.
We therefore call upon the Prime Ministers, MPs, and Senators to immediately stop undermining the single desk authority of the CWB. We further insist that Parliament must comply with the Canadian Wheat Board Act, Section 47.1, which requires a binding plebiscite (vote) of farmers before any substantive change to the CWB’s single desk authority is initiated.
Signed:
Agriculture Workers Alliance
Bathurst Street United Church, Toronto
Big Carrot Natural Food Market
Biofreedom
Brandon University Students' Union
Briarpatch Magazine
Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Canadian Wheat Board Alliance
CCNB Action (Conservation Council of New Brunswick)
Centre for Social Justice
Coalition On The Niagara Escarpment
Council of Canadians
Council of Canadians - Moose Jaw, Sask. Chapter
Council of Canadians - Prince Albert, Sask. Chapter
Council of Canadians - Winnipeg, Man. Chapter
CWA/SCA (Communications Workers Union) Canada
Food Action Committee of the Ecology Action Centre
Food Secure Canada
Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board
GE Watch Comox Valley
GRAIN
Grain Services Union (GSU)
Greenpeace Canada
Growing Food Security in Alberta
Health Sciences Association of Alberta
Inter Pares
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 529
Lardeau Valley Seed Savers
Les AmiEs de la Terre de Québec
LIFT (Low Income Families Together)
National Farmers Union
National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice
Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Windsor
Organic Food Council of Manitoba (OFCM)
Oxfam Canada
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL)
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN)
Society for a GE Free BC
The Ark Farm, B&B, Vegetables, & Native Plants
Union paysanne
United Church of Canada
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
An open letter was delivered to Prime Minister Stephen Harper, Members of Parliament, and Senators asking for a binding vote by farmers before any substantive change to the CWB’s single desk authority is initiated.
The organizations represented by the coalition are calling for Ottawa to support Canadian food, Canadian farmers, and the Canadian Wheat Board.
The content of the letter is as follows:
Dear Prime Minister Harper, Members of Parliament, and Senators:
Bill C-18, if passed, will destroy the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz has repeatedly stated that he will not recognize the plebiscite recently conducted by the CWB, in which results were clearly in favour of keeping the CWB as the sole marketing agent for prairie wheat and barley intended for human consumption.
The CWB was created by an Act of Parliament, and is run by a 15-member Board of Directors, 10 of whom are elected by farmers. The Wheat Board provides fair, equitable, reliable, and cost-effective services to farm families. It provides stability in uncertain times, and is a foundation of Canada’s grain sector.
Ending the single desk authority of the CWB would throw western agriculture into turmoil and would transfer wealth created by Canadian farmers to big, private, often foreign-owned grain companies—money now returned to farmers, who spend it in their communities. The Minneapolis Grain Exchange has already changed its rules to allow for speculation in futures contracts for Canadian wheat and barley — a move which will increase price volatility for purchasers without providing any benefit to farmers.
Canada’s political system is built on representative democracy. This means that the law, not merely the person in power, is to be respected and followed. The CWB Act is a law made by Parliament, and it requires a farmer vote before any substantive changes are made to the single desk authority. Our current government is ignoring this law—refusing to hold the required vote—and moving to eliminate the requirement for a vote. This is deeply concerning, as it strikes at the heart of our Canadian democracy.
We the undersigned:
· Recognize the billions of dollars of economic value that the CWB creates each year—for farmers, rural communities, short line railroads, and the whole of Canada—as a result of its superior marketing ability, capacity to defend Canadian interests in trade disputes, and commitment to return to farmers all net proceeds from sales.
· Are proud of the strong international reputation for quality and reliability that Canadian wheat and barley have earned—a direct result of the CWB and its companion institutions, the Canadian Grain Commission and Canadian International Grains Institute.
· Deplore the government’s disregard for the outcome of the recent plebiscite in which 62 per cent of farmers voted in favour of keeping the single desk for wheat and 51 per cent supported keeping the single desk for barley.
We therefore call upon the Prime Ministers, MPs, and Senators to immediately stop undermining the single desk authority of the CWB. We further insist that Parliament must comply with the Canadian Wheat Board Act, Section 47.1, which requires a binding plebiscite (vote) of farmers before any substantive change to the CWB’s single desk authority is initiated.
Signed:
Agriculture Workers Alliance
Bathurst Street United Church, Toronto
Big Carrot Natural Food Market
Biofreedom
Brandon University Students' Union
Briarpatch Magazine
Canadian Auto Workers (CAW)
Canadian Labour Congress
Canadian Union of Postal Workers (CUPW)
Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE)
Canadian Wheat Board Alliance
CCNB Action (Conservation Council of New Brunswick)
Centre for Social Justice
Coalition On The Niagara Escarpment
Council of Canadians
Council of Canadians - Moose Jaw, Sask. Chapter
Council of Canadians - Prince Albert, Sask. Chapter
Council of Canadians - Winnipeg, Man. Chapter
CWA/SCA (Communications Workers Union) Canada
Food Action Committee of the Ecology Action Centre
Food Secure Canada
Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board
GE Watch Comox Valley
GRAIN
Grain Services Union (GSU)
Greenpeace Canada
Growing Food Security in Alberta
Health Sciences Association of Alberta
Inter Pares
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 529
Lardeau Valley Seed Savers
Les AmiEs de la Terre de Québec
LIFT (Low Income Families Together)
National Farmers Union
National Union of Public and General Employees (NUPGE)
New Brunswick Common Front for Social Justice
Ontario Public Interest Research Group (OPIRG) - Windsor
Organic Food Council of Manitoba (OFCM)
Oxfam Canada
Saskatchewan Federation of Labour (SFL)
Saskatchewan Union of Nurses (SUN)
Society for a GE Free BC
The Ark Farm, B&B, Vegetables, & Native Plants
Union paysanne
United Church of Canada
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW)
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