Comments on the Canadian Wheat Board Plebiscite Results by
Ed Komarnicki MP Souris - Moose Mountain
Estevan (September 12, 2011) – Ed Komarnicki MP Souris Moose - Mountain made the following comments regarding the release of the results of the Canadian Wheat Board plebiscite.
The vote was open to anyone who was a producer of wheat or barley in the last 5 years. In some cases this involved more than one producer per farm operation.
It is interesting to note that participation rate in the vote was only 56 % and of course there is no way of knowing how many boycotted the plebiscite.
I appreciate there are a good number of wheat and barley producers who would like to maintain the Canadian Wheat Board single desk system and the plebiscite shows that but opinions are divided.
That said there were a significant number, nearly 40% of producers, that did not wish to maintain the single desk and when it comes to barley producers it was about 50-50%.
It is important to note that there was no question put to offer the opportunity to vote for a “dual market” system that the Government of Canada is proposing.
Another interesting question is whether one group of farmers even at 62% should have the power to prevent the individual rights of another group of farmers to market their grain as they see fit.
If producers feel strongly about preserving the Canadian Wheat Board and there is a majority feeling that way then they should band together and market through the Wheat Board in a dual market system.
A dual market as proposed by the Government of Canada would allow every farmer to choose how they want to market their grain, whether they want to market individually or through a voluntary pooling entity.
Also of note is the fact that the Governments of Saskatchewan, Alberta, and British Columbia producing 80% of wheat and 90% of barley grown in Canada, support the move to marketing freedom.
“In my view,” concluded Komarnicki, “the time has come to give all farmers the marketing choice they deserve to have. Anything less would not be appropriate in today’s world and in today’s market. In the days to come and as we move ahead in the fall session details of the proposed legislation will be put forward for further discussion and what I would expect fairly lively debate.”
