Ritz’s Efforts Praised By Fellow MP

Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback praised fellow Saskatchewan MP and Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz for his hard work promoting markets for Canadian farmers, while speaking at the Canola Council of Canada’s annual meeting here July 27. “I think if you look at beef markets in particular and the price of cattle where they were

Open Letter To CWB Directors

The private elevator companies and the railways are expecting more revenue at the expense of the farmers’ income if Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz destroys our Canadian Wheat Board. The power of price negotiation for farmers is


CWB Working On Open-Market Model

The Canadian Wheat Board is working on a model for converting the single-desk seller of western barley and wheat into an open-market grain company. But for this “new entity” to survive the federal government must make major concessions, including assuming CWB employees’ pension liability, says chair Allen Oberg. “It’s our view that it’s the government’s

Shhh… Don’t Tell The Canola Council

We want to believe those promises of good things to come Western Canada’s way once the Canadian Wheat Board is outa’ the way. We really do. According to Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, the CWB monopoly is weakening our clout in world wheat and barley trade. “What was once Canada’s signature crop has fallen behind,”


CWB Fate Clouds Agriculture Ministers’ Meeting

Canada’s agriculture ministers agreed on food policy development and improved support programs for farmers, but the results of their annual meeting were overshadowed by debate on the Canadian Wheat Board’s fate. The meeting in St. Andrews, N.B. featured a green light for further development of a National Food Strategy (NFS) under the aegis of the

Most Manitobans Support Keeping CWB Single Desk: Struthers

After connecting with Manitobans through a “virtual” meeting on the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) June 29, there’s no question most Manitobans support the board’s statutory single desk, Stan Struthers says. More than 70 per cent of respondents who voted over the phone favour that, Manitoba’s minister of agriculture, food and rural initiatives said in an


Cfia Gets New President

George Da Pont, a seasoned federal bureaucrat, has been named president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. He replaces Carol Swan who has retired. Da Pont became executive vice-president of the agency a year ago with the expectation that he would move into the top job eventually. With CFIA under repeated attack by its main

Cwb Will Hold Farmer Vote

Outraged open-market proponents were calling on farmers to boycott a plebiscite on grain marketing announced by the Canadian Wheat Board last week. Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says he will place little to no value on the results. The current CWB Act requires farmers approve such a change through a vote first; the government plans to


G20 Action Plan Good For Farmers

International farm ministers rejected tight controls on commodity speculation in favour of more open information on developments in the food chain that could affect both farmers and consumers, says Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz. The first meeting of G20 farm ministers signed an action plan in Paris that stresses more trade and innovation, including biotechnology, to

Cwb Vote Issue Heads To Court

Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board (FCWB) is asking the Federal Court to block the federal government from abolishing the Canadian Wheat Board’s (CWB) statutory single marketing authority for wheat and barley. The FCWB, a coalition of farmers and other Canadians in support of a democratic, farmer-controlled CWB, was to apply for a judicial review