CWB President Canned

WINNIPEG - Dec 20/06 - SNS -- Canada's federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl fired Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) president Adrian Measner over his public opposition to plans to strip the CWB of its marketing monopoly for western Canadian wheat, durum and export barley.

Some observers say Measner's firing is consistent with efforts by the Conservative Party to "control the message" on all topics by stilling dissenting voices among Conservative members of parliament, the civil service, and other federal entities.

Measner's firing had been expected to the past two weeks and prompted the marketing board's directors to unanimously vote for this retention.

In what was billed by all sides to the issue as a plebiscite on the government's plans to introduce dual markets for wheat and barley, pro-board candidates won the recent election for new CWB directors and a clear majority of votes cast.

The election results and provincial government reaction to Measner's firing is consistent with the historical divide in western Canada over the CWB -- with Alberta pleased and Manitoba and Saskatchewan unhappy. The latter two provinces, along with a majority of farmers on both sides of the issue, believe the future of the CWB should be up to farmers. Alberta and the federal government, knowing that polls strongly suggest a majority of affected farmers favor retention of the CWB, prefer non-binding plebiscites and executive orders.