Killing the CWB continues
One of the many pleasant aspects of being a grain farmer was dealing with CWB staff. I could always be confident they had no secret agendas or axes to grind and their only orientation was to make my life easier. It was always a contrast to the private grain traders whose only loyalty was to the shareholders of their employer. The more thoughtful employees of the private trade recognized they...
Read MoreWhat a difference a few weeks makes
What a difference a few weeks makes. It seems like only yesterday that Cherilyn Jolly Nagle of the industry Astroturf group the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Assoc. was signing one of the first private contracts committing her to deliver a significant volume of durum wheat to the private trade. Agriculture Minister Ritz had assured his followers, and few are more devout than Ms. Nagel, that...
Read MoreCharter of Rights
Today marks the 30th anniversary of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. This milestone document established that certain rights cannot be taken away by the tyranny of the majority. Among other things, the Charter is meant to moderate the historic reality of British Parliamentary history which grew out of an aristocratic conception of citizenship. In that system, only members of...
Read MoreLet us pray
It used to be said that farmers prayed for a good crop and the private trade preyed on a good crop. With the anticipated end of our single desk Canadian Wheat Board, it looks like we are there again. Minister Ritz claimed there would be more choice and freedom without our single desk. The sale of Viterra underlines just how faulty that logic was. After the Wheat Pool cooperatives were...
Read MoreUnintended Consequences?
Last week grain handling company Viterra apparently became the focus of a takeover bid. This triggered an early Friday morning suspension of trading in its shares and a later share price jump of around 25%. Earlier in the week Ritz’s version of the Canadian Wheat Board announced it had signed a handling agreement with Cargill one of the largest grain companies in the world. Many supporters...
Read MoreFarmers Celebrate International Women’s Day
Today is when we recognize and celebrate women’s economic, political, and social achievements. In Canada we often forget that until 1929 women were not even considered “persons” under our laws. Too few remember how women overcame this abomination in our legal system. It all started with the grain farmers of western Canada. For over 30 years, since the 1890s they had been...
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