Prairie Provinces Split on CWB

WINNIPEG - Oct 11/06 - SNS -- There is a clear split in western Canada over support for the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB), with Alberta siding with efforts by the federal government to allow private sector companies compete directly with the CWB for grain and exports starting in 2007-08.

By contrast, provincial governments in Manitoba and Saskatchewan say they strongly support the CWB and believe the federal government should allow farmers to decide the marketing board's fate through a plebiscite.

"We believe the introduction of a dual market would effectively eliminate the Wheat Board as a major Canadian marketer in the international marketplace and reduce the overall competitiveness of the western Canadian grain industry in that marketplace," Saskatchewan Agriculture and Food Minister Mark Wartman said.

"The removal of the single desk would result in a serious financial loss for western Canadian grain producers and would have far-reaching negative effects on short-line railways, independent inland grain terminals, the Port of Churchill and trade with the U.S.," Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Rosann Wowchuk said.

The ministers also commended the new producer coalition, composed of the five major prairie farm organizations, for coming together to examine the issues surrounding the future of the Board. The coalition will develop and examine a series of questions related to the value of the Board and the loss of the single desk. It was formed in response to the federal task force examining the future of the Board, which ministers believe has too narrow a mandate and representation.

"The potential loss of the CWB is a crucial issue for prairie farmers," Wowchuk said. "I'm pleased that this coalition will take a close look at what this could mean for farmers and rural communities. It is absolutely essential that all of the information is on the table to inform this very important debate."

The ministers also stated their strong support for the producer coalition's stance that the federal government cannot make unilateral changes to the Canadian Wheat Board.

"It is our position that producers themselves must be given a voice in the future of the Canadian Wheat Board, and that the federal government must respect their right to decide," Wartman said. "No changes can or should be made to the Board without a producer vote."