In response to the federal government’s intention to eliminate the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) single desk marketing structure through legislation tabled in the House of Commons earlier this month, Wednesday the CWB announced a federal court challenge.
“The Harper government has acted illegally and unethically in its attacks on the CWB, and it must be stopped,” said board chair Allen Oberg. “As it charges ahead, the government is mowing down everything in its way. The casualties will be democracy, due process, Parliamentary debate and Canada’s agricultural economy. We have no choice but to take this last stand on behalf of farmers. We will not be intimidated by bullies.”
The lawsuit, filed yesterday in federal court, states the government broke the law when it introduced Bill C-18 on Oct. 18 because it did not first conduct a plebiscite of affected producers, as required by Section 47.1 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act, which remains in force.
Almost 40,000 producers participated in a CWB-run plebiscite over the summer, with 62 per cent voting to retain the single-desk marketing system for wheat.
Speaking at a press conference near Winnipeg, Oberg refused to give up and “bow to the inevitable”, while maintaining that removing the single desk would harm Canada’s agricultural economy by transferring profits and power to large, foreign-owned grain corporations.
“This kind of behaviour ought to concern more than the farmers of Western Canada. It should raise alarm bells for us all,” said Oberg.