| CWB upset with “gag order” |
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| Local Content - Local Agriculture |
| Written by Trevor Busch |
| Thursday, 04 February 2010 17:56 |
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The federal government’s notorious “gag order” preventing the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) from promoting a single-desk marketing system has been reinstituted after the Supreme Court of Canada denied the organization leave to appeal in a decision reached last month. The ruling ended an ongoing legal battle between the federal government and the grain marketing agency regarding a federal government attempt to muzzle the organization over any communications not reflective of government policy. Wheat Board chairman Larry Hill expressed concern the spirit of democracy is being distorted through the Supreme Court decision and the actions of the federal government. “First of all, the CWB hasn’t spent money promoting the single desk. But there’s a principle involved here, and that’s why we’re quite disappointed that we can’t proceed with the appeal. The principle is farmer control of the organization. I think farmers expect to control the CWB through their elected directors, and the elected directors expect to have the authority to run the organization. There’s nothing frivolous about that. That’s a very important principle. If the government issues an order every time it disagrees with the board of directors, the board of directors are being seriously handicapped in doing their work.” The Supreme Court of Canada does not explain the reasoning behind denying an appeal, added Hill. “They don’t give any reason. They just say we will here it or we will not here it. That is how the Supreme Court works. They probably can’t hear everything, and they decide, for reasons that are not clear to me, just what to do or not, and their decision is final.” For now, Hill does not anticipate much of a change from the CWB’s current practices. “It’s not going to make a lot of difference. Certainly, the CWB will comply with the gag order, and as I said before, we were not spending money to advocate retention of a single desk when the gag order was lifted, either. To make sure you comply, you have to expend a little effort. And that’s going to be the difference.” Hill was hesitant to comment on how the federal government viewed the ruling. “I don’t know about that. Obviously, they must have felt they were in the right or they wouldn’t have appealed it.” As for the federal government taking the opportunity to try to rescind the CWB’s marketing monopoly, Hill pointed out the government would have to work within the spirit of the Wheat Board Act. “My understanding is that we operate under the Wheat Board Act, and the single desk is part of that act. Any action that’s taken would have to be within the intent of the act itself. I really don’t see anything like that coming along.” The current policy of the federal Conservative government is to eliminate the wheat board’s monopoly on Prairie wheat and barley sales, and allow farmers to choose where to sell their grain. |