http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/local/federal-government-flouting-the-law-farmer-135232723.html
By: Carol Sanders Posted: 12/8/2011 1:00 AM
TO the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, Wednesday's court decision was a small victory in an epic battle of good versus evil.
"There's a certain type of vindication here," Dean Harder, 31, who lives in Winnipeg and farms with his dad at Lowe Farm just west of Morris, said after hearing the judge's verdict.
"For government to deny democracy is an affront to all Canadians," said Harder, who volunteers with the Friends and sometimes gets paid for the work he does on its website.
"I'm relieved and ecstatic."
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz didn't listen to farmers or uphold the law requiring a wheat board plebiscite, Harder said. The government, instead, went ahead with an agenda that benefits its supporters -- multinational corporations -- more than farmers, he said.
"There are so many red flags around this issue," said Harder. "The multinationals, you know, they're feeding money into this thing," he said. "It feels very much like the Harper government is going through with this bill to allow campaign supporters to get their way... it's showing a sick use of our Parliament."
A parliamentary democracy is supposed to benefit the people and uphold the laws but, in this case, it's benefiting corporations and flouting the law, he said.
The young farmer said he doesn't know if he'll be able to farm for a living if the government succeeds in killing the single desk of the Canadian Wheat Board. "Farmers will be forced to have a few buyers who have control of the system."
Telling farmers they'll make more money if they have fewer people to sell their grain to is ridiculous, he said. There's no way producers in any other industry would believe it, he said.
His dad, Butch Harder, said Wednesday's court victory is encouraging for the Friends of the CWB.
"It goes to show what you can do," said the elder Harder, who was a director of the wheat board's advisory committee many years ago. "Some farm organizations didn't want to tackle this," he said, noting individual farmers did.
Their concern is five big agribusiness companies are gaining total corporate control of food production. If multinationals are the only game in town for farmers selling their grain, they'll pit farmers against each other, increasing corporate profit margins and grinding producers, he said.