2007-01 (January)
BLAINE CALKINS MP REPORT
January 26, 2007
CWB Plebiscite - Keeping our Promise to Farmers
As your Member of Parliament I recognize that the family farm has long been a backbone of our country. During the last election campaign the Conservative Party pledged to give western grain farmers the freedom to make their own marketing decisions if we formed government.
On January 23, 2006 Canadians voted for change. Farmers told us they wanted marketing choice and that they want to be consulted on this issue. On the eve of the first anniversary of the election, I had the opportunity to join Agriculture and Agri-food Minister, Chuck Strahl when he announced the questions that will be asked in the upcoming plebiscite on the marketing of barley and the criteria for voter eligibility.
Your federal Conservative Government is committed to providing freedom of choice to western grain farmers, while continuing to preserve a strong, yet voluntary Canadian Wheat Board (CWB). We believe that since farmers take all the risks and make all the investments, they should not be punished or jailed for pursuing opportunities outside the CWB that make good business sense to them. That is why we are moving forward in an orderly and transparent fashion.
Farmers will be asked to select one of the following options on the ballot:
- The Canadian Wheat Board should retain the single desk for the marketing of barley into domestic human consumption and export markets.
- I would like the option to market my barley to the Canadian Wheat Board or any other domestic or foreign buyer.
- The Canadian Wheat Board should not have a role in the marketing of barley.
To be eligible to vote, farmers must have produced grain in 2006 and must have produced barley in at least one of the past five years (2002-2006). Farmers who do not meet the criteria but who are active farmers will still be eligible and will need to file a declaration.
The voting period begins February 7 and the last day for return ballots to be postmarked will be March 13. Results of the plebiscite will be announced in mid-March.
Those producers who are eligible but have not received a ballot by February 15, 2007 should contact the election coordinator, to arrange for a declaration and a ballot, KPMG at 1-888-3BARLEY (1-888-322-7539).
Each farm in the CWB-designated area, whether a single producer, a partnership or a corporation, will be eligible for one vote.
Now it is up to farmers to have their say. The importance of this plebiscite cannot be stressed enough. A vote for option number one is a vote for the status quo and the continuation of the single desk, monopoly system operated by the Canadian Wheat Board. A vote for option 2 or 3 will send a clear message that farmers want the freedom to choose how they will sell their barley.
We are committed to holding a plebiscite on wheat at an appropriate date in the future. No changes will be made in the CWB’s role in the marketing of wheat until after that vote is held.
For more information on the plebiscite, please visit www.2007barleyvote.ca. For more information on marketing choice, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cwb. For information on any federally related matters, please contact the Constituency office or my web site: www.blainecalkinsmp.ca
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