38th PARLIAMENT, 1st SESSION
EDITED HANSARD • NUMBER 139
CONTENTS
Friday, October 21, 2005

Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Ed Komarnicki (Souris—Moose Mountain, CPC): Mr. Speaker, my question is for the minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board.

Farmers are concerned that the Canadian Wheat Board has set artificially low prices for initial payments on crops sold through the board. In fact, the current price for feed barley, after freight and elevation charges, nets the farmer 18¢ a bushel. It costs more to deliver the barley than the farmer receives as payment. Not only is this appalling, but it has to be an embarrassment to this government.

At a time when farmers are cash strapped, will the minister take the necessary steps to ensure an increase in the initial price for all grains to put some extra cash in the pockets of farmers and to do that without administration costs?

Hon. Reg Alcock (President of the Treasury Board and Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, I have been wondering for some weeks now when this question was going to come, because the farmers on the board of the Canadian Wheat Board, the farmers who run the Canadian Wheat Board, have been deeply concerned about this and are taking action as we speak to address this issue.

It is because of the Wheat Board that those farmers are getting some needed cash in their pockets in addition to the considerable assistance that this side of the House has offered them.