Agriculture Food and Rural Initiatives Minister Stan Struthers expressed his opposition to the federal governments’ decision to dismantle the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) and committed to continue to push the federal government to reverse its decision.
“This is not the way to do business with farmers and their assets. We believe in working with farmers and listening to what they have to say, and they have clearly spoken; they want the CWB to remain intact,” said Struthers. “We have made our position clear from the very beginning. We support the farmers’ right to decide the future of their own gain marketing agency. I encourage all members of the legislature to join me to continue to fight on behalf of farmers and push the federal government to reverse its plan.”
The minister noted the CWB is very important to Manitoba’s economy, providing grain growers with a reliable marketing agency for their wheat, barley and durum. The CWB head office employs over 400 people in Winnipeg for a combined total of 2,500 direct and indirect jobs in the province. Last year, its gross revenues were among the highest in its history at $5.2 billion. It also is the single biggest user of the Port of Churchill, shipping 600,000 tonnes of wheat last year alone.
“These are some trying times for our agricultural producers as they are dealing with flooded farmland and the stresses of getting a crop in on time. It truly is shameful the federal government would add another load to farmers’ already overflowing plates.”
