Bad Precedent

By Kyle Korneychuk,
The StarPhoenix
August 28, 2012

In the viewpoint article CWB, tyranny and economics (SP, Aug. 17), Herb Pinder, a member Viterra’s board of directors, said: “Property rights are at the heart of our enterprise system.”

If that’s really the case, he should be terrified of Stephen Harper and Gerry Ritz’s method of breaking the Canadian Wheat Board.

All rights and liberties are entirely dependent on the rule of law. If everybody, including in this case Parliament does not follow the law, everything including property is up for grabs by the biggest bully.

The law specified certain steps required to break the CWB. Rather than change or repeal the law as they could have done, Harper and Ritz chose to break the law. In doing so they sought to reestablish a concept that’s been dead for almost 800 years – that the Crown is above the law. In exercising what amounts to a royal prerogative to seize assets of our farmerrun wheat board – specifically almost 2000 rail hopper cars, the building in Winnipeg, the lakers and the contingency fund of more than $200 million all paid for or created by farmers – the government obviously wants to take us back to a time when royalty ruled and commoners bowed before it.

Like a 12th century royal, Harper recently boasted about his use of royal prerogative to pardon some criminals who broke laws he apparently did not like. This sets a very bad precedent with long-term implications. He should not get away with it.