Canada: Voting packages being sent to farmers over CWB future

Voting packages are being sent to more than 68,000 wheat and barley farmers for the Canadian Wheat Board's prairie-wide plebiscite on the future of the organization, The Valley Reader reported on July, 13.

The vote will ask farmers if they accept the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk structure, or reject it in favour of an open market system.

The Wheat Board announced on July, 6 that chartered accountant and advisory firm, MNP, has been contracted to administer the plebiscite.

"The Canadian Wheat Board's board of directors, who are two-thirds made up of elected farmers are offering prairie farmers the opportunity to have their say on the future of the Canadian Wheat Board through a producer plebiscite," explained Maureen Fitzhenry, media relations manager for the Canadian Wheat Board. "Our board believes that it's farmers democratic and legal right to decide the future of their grain marketing agency and they believe a plebiscite with a clear question will show where farmers stand on this major issue."

Fitzhenry said the board would have preferred a "fair and binding government referendum" as required by the Canadian Wheat board Act.

However, she says, the government has indicated that they intend to change the law this fall so that a farmer referendum would no longer be required to make changes to the Canadian Wheat Board.

"In the absence of a fair and binding government referendum, our board of directors pledge to honour the results of this plebiscite no matter what they are," Fitzhenry said, adding that the board is also calling on the federal government to respect the results of this farmer vote.

Fitzhenry said the Canadian Wheat Board has fielded a number of calls and emails from Manitoba farmers in recent weeks. She said the reaction amongst many of the farmers is that they're concerned and confused and upset.

"People tend to be upset maybe not for the same reasons," she said, noting that she's had calls from farmers who want to keep the single desk structure and those who want to sell their wheat independently. "It's certainly causing consternation."

Farmers who have grown wheat in the past five crop years are eligible to vote on the future of the single desk for wheat while farmers who have grown barley in the past five crop years are eligible to vote on the future of the single desk for barley. Those who have grown both in the past five crop years are eligible to vote on the future of each crop.

Producers with an active permit book in either the 2009-10 or 2010-11 crop years or who have delivered wheat or barley in the past five crop years (2006-07 to 2010-11) will automatically receive a ballot in the mail later this month.

Next August the Conservative government plans to end the Canadian Wheat Board's 76-year monopoly on the sale of wheat, durum and barley in favour of a dual system that will give farmers the choice to market their grain any way they see fit.

The Canadian Wheat Board is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. It nets between C$4-billion and C$7-billion a year selling grain to 70 countries.

Plebiscite ballots will be mailed this week and should receive ballots by July 22.

Farmers have until August 24, 2011 to return ballots to the Wheat Board.

13 July, 2011