By Kyle Korneychuk,
The StarPhoenix, January 30, 2012
It was really quite funny to watch the agriculture minister strut in front of his flock at the Western Canadian Wheat Growers’ conference.
He used his bully pulpit to describe as baseless the recent court cases against his government over legislation to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board’s single desk.
Like so many bullies, Gerry Ritz first sounded arrogant in saying: “We’re still very antagonistic with the eight and the Friends of the Board.” Then he started to sound desperate and almost delusional in saying: “This is a done deal, folks. No one is going to blink at this point and no one is going to change. C-18 is the law of the land.”
At least one Federal Court judge has disagreed, so I’m not sure if Ritz is trying to convince himself or his boss, Stephen Harper, that it’s a done deal. However, it appears that the Western Grain Elevator Association and even the wheat growers aren’t convinced. They continue to appeal the court rulings and are trying to get intervener status in other cases. If it’s a done deal, what do they hope to gain?
Farmers are using their own money to defend our wheat board. However, it appears the elevator association and wheat growers have access to an endless stream of money. For a minister who was so critical of the CWB spending money on legal cases, Ritz seems to have no hesitancy in watching his shadow groups blow money supporting his dirty work.
Kyle Korneychuk,
Pelly, Saskatchewan
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