Leaving aside that the "majority" government recieved a mandate from only 24% of Canadian eligible voters, the real problem is that the government is using its majority to trample the democratic rights of Canadian farmers who are part of the CWB.
The CWB is a Canadian-farmer controlled single-desk marketing system for Barley and Wheat. Throughout its almost 100 years of existence, it has managed the flow of grain from the farm gate to the foreign purchasers. Through thick and thin it has provided a stable income for farmers - back when farmers actually owned farms, that is. Now that corporations own large the farms they want to squeeze out the remaining "little" guys by cutting off their legs at the ankles and the government is in lock-step with them. If you want details on this, check out the report delivered by the National Farmers Union of Canada in 2010 (www.nfu.ca/press_releases/2010/06-07-losing_grip.pdf).So farmers are the losers - well then, who are the winners?
A handful of private companies who own the large farms and the private (mostly foreign-controlled) elevator systems. And, surprisingly - the railways who can up their rates whenever they want because the government will eliminate the Revenue Cap on freight rates. They can also shut down short line routes that service farmer-owned elevators, forcing small farmers to haul their grain to big-corporation elevators.What the dust-bowl period of the 1930's could not do - the government will be doing!
It is a tragedy!
Was destroying the CWB (Canada Wheat Board) part of a deal the conservative government made with the Chinese government?
ReplyDeleteThe Chinese government has quietly been buying, and monopolizing important material, mining and food resources all around the world. Then they have been restricting and denying the world access to those badly needed materials.
They use so called free trade laws to gain access, then deny free trade to other countries once they own the material. Governments around the world are afraid of angering China and they China military and the Chinese communist party, all of which owns a massive amount of the companies, mines and farms that have been bought.
In order for free trade to actually be free, it must go both ways, and farmers must be allowed to enter into cooperatives so they can actually make money by growing food, rather then selling off their farms to foreign interests like China's military.
Yes, I know. That sounds alarmist and it sounds like a conspiracy. But its true. China is also paying off small and large newspaper owners and other media companies to ensure "good press". China's military and communist party is well known to own huge numbers of strategic companies, like China's oil companies, banks, and even non strategic companies like toy companies.
Nope. It is part of a deal with the Americans. Since the demise of the Wheat Board, the wholesale sell off of the intermediaries has begun, with the sale of Vitera (formerly the farmer-owned co-op, Sask Wheat Pool).
ReplyDeleteI predict that within 5 years all or most of our grain will flow south for export rather than north, west and east as it does today. That will spell the end of the grain ports at Churchill, Prince Rupert and Thunder Bay.