Winnipeg, MB, June 27, 2011—“The Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board (FCWB) today filed documents in Federal Court asking for a Judicial Review of the federal government’s plans to amend and/or repeal the Canadian Wheat Board Act in Parliament without consulting prairie farmers through a plebiscite as required by that Act.
Section 47.1 of the CWB Act is very clear: the Minister responsible for the CWB must hold a plebiscite to determine the wishes of producers prior to a grain being added to, or removed from, the CWB’s marketing mandate. Specifically,
47.1 The Minister shall not cause to be introduced in Parliament a bill that would exclude any kind, type, class or grade of wheat or barley, or wheat or barley produced in any area in Canada, from the provisions of Part IV, either in whole or in part, or generally, or for any period, or that would extend the application of Part III or Part IV or both Parts III and IV to any other grain, unless
(a) the Minister has consulted with the board about the exclusion or extension; and
(b) the producers of the grain have voted in favour of the exclusion or extension, the voting process having been determined by the Minister.
At a farm meeting in Minnedosa, MB, on March 15, Minister Ritz, in reference to farmer director elections showing eight out of the 10 elected directors support the CWB’s single-desk marketing authority, boldly stated that he would respect farmer democracy. “Mr. Minister, farmers took you at your word. It is dishonest for you to now claim that the May 2nd federal election was a farmer vote on the CWB and that you have a mandate to remove the CWB’s statutory marketing authority on wheat and barley without a farmer plebiscite,” said Luc Labossiere, a grain farmer at St. Leon, MB.
“We are launching this lawsuit today because the Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board believe that prairie farmers have a long-standing legal and legitimate expectation to be consulted via plebiscite before any amendments to the CWB Act are introduced into Parliament,” said Lyle Simonson a durum farmer from Swift Current, SK.
“We are supporting this court challenge to prevent the Harper Government from riding rough-shod over prairie farmers and their marketing agency which is owned, controlled and paid for by them,” said Lynn Jacobson, a farmer from Enchant, AB. “The issue is farmer democracy, plain and simple.”
Contacts:
Luc Labossiere, Ph: (204) 744-2208 (English or French)
Lyle Simonson, Ph: (306) 553-2307
Lynn Jacobson, Ph: (403) 739-2153
Note: The documents filed in the federal court today can be obtained up to 10 a.m. June 30th by contacting Anders Bruun, Legal Counsel, at: bruun_a@hotmail.com