(Regina, April 4, 2012) “Our membership strongly supports our elected CWB Director’s in their appeal of a ruling by Justice Perlmutter of Manitoba which ignored the rights of farmers to have a fair vote on the future of our single desk Wheat Board” said Bill Gehl, chairperson of the Canadian Wheat Board Alliance, a non-partisan group which supports orderly marketing.
Gehl went on to remark “In our view, Judge Perlmutter’s decision did not give enough weight to the well accepted understanding in the farm community, encouraged by Minister Ritz, that we would have a fair vote on the issue.”
“Not only did Justice Perlmutter come to a conclusion most farmers were not happy with, given the critical nature of the issue, he took an inordinate amount of time to do so. Justice delayed can be justice denied. We are fortunate this is still a country where people have a right to due process of law and time will tell if the appeal of this decision or one of the other ongoing legal challenges will overturn Ottawa’s heavy-handed wrecking of our single desk Canadian Wheat Board.”
Gehl concluded by saying “this is a story that is not over yet and we applaud the integrity and courage of our elected CWB Directors for standing up for democratic rights too many Canadians take for granted.”
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