I have to agree with Ralph on this one, 100%. The Constitution/Charter of the Canadian Wheat Board must be followed - particularly on a decision as important as the Board's future...
Here's Ralph Goodale's Weekly Report:
LET FARMERS VOTE ON THE CWB – IT’S THE LAW!
Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act is clear.
If the Minister responsible for the Board wants to change the CWB’s “single desk” marketing system, the Minister must first do two things:
• Consult with the CWB’s Board of Directors; and
• Hold a clear, democratic vote among producers to determine whether they support the specific changes the Minister has in mind.
Since the Harper government came to power in 2006, no such vote has ever taken place. The closest they’ve come, a few years ago, was a multiple-choice survey of general marketing philosophy which generated no conclusive result.
In the wake of the recent federal election, the Conservatives are again vowing to kill the Wheat Board. To do so will require legislation in Parliament. Before any such legislation can be introduced, the two conditions mentioned above must be met.
The Harper regime should have the courage of its convictions. No tricks. No deeks or dodges. Just put the issue to a fair vote among farmers. That’s what the law requires.
The two questions to be asked are quite straight-forward.
Do you want the CWB’s single-desk marketing system for wheat: yes or no?
Do you want the CWB’s single-desk marketing system for barley: yes or no?
If the Conservatives decide NOT to proceed in this direct and honourable manner, there are only two other alternatives.
They might try mislead people into believing the Wheat Board can somehow be “optional” and still remain functional for those who want it. But this is simply not possible. Either you have a single-desk seller or you have the open-market. You can’t have a bit of both.
Or, before presenting legislation to kill the single-desk, the government might try to amend Section 47.1 of the CWB Act to eliminate farmers’ right to vote on this issue.
Now wouldn’t that be a strange spectacle – the Harper regime changing the law to remove producers’ democratic right to vote on whether they want to CWB or not.
3 comments:
Who cares if 99% of the farmers were to vote in Cavour of retaining the CWB? The 1% who do not should not be criminalized for selling something they own to anyone they darn well want to.
That would be about right for Harpie. Deomocracy is such an inconvenience.
I believe the restrictions of section 47 apply to the Minister's administration of the Act, not to Parliament's right to amend or repeal it.
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