Canadian Wheat Board Sues to Stop Legislation That Would Dismantle Single Desk

The Canadian Wheat Board, which apparently serves as the marketing organization for western Canadian wheat, durum wheat and barley farmers, has filed a lawsuit against the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, in his capacity as Minister Responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board, alleging that he failed to consult with the board as required by law before “causing to be introduced in Parliament on October 18, 2011,” a bill that would create an open market and essentially eliminate the board’s “exclusive statutory marketing authority in respect of wheat and barley.” The board claims to have “a legal mandate to extract the highest overall returns for farmers by effectively leveraging the powers of the single desk.”

According to a news source, the board narrowly approved the legal action;
directors elected by farmers, for the most part, supported it, while those
appointed by the government voted against it. Opposition farmer Henry Vos,
calling the lawsuit “an absolute, total waste of money,” resigned and, in an
open letter to farmers, claimed that what was happening on the board was
“in a word, wrong.” Director and farmer Allen Oberg, who filed an affidavit
supporting the lawsuit, alleges that the agriculture minister published an
open letter in several newspapers declaring the government’s intention
to eliminate the single desk “very soon” and stating, “So happy birthday
monopoly! We’ll help you blow out your candles. Farmers will finally get their
wish.” Oberg contends that the minister “has refused to consult with the Board
regarding the elimination of the Single Desk, has refused to hold a producer
vote and has dismissed the results of the [board’s] plebescite, in which the
majority of producers voted to maintain the Single Desk.” See The Globe and
Mail, October 26, 2011.