Another viewpoint......

December 19, 2006
Canadian Wheat Board boss axed

By STEVE LAMBERT

Adrian Measner. (CP/Tom Hanson)

ST. FRANCOIS XAVIER, Man. (CP) - The federal government moved a step closer to ending the Canadian Wheat Board's marketing monopoly Tuesday by firing board president Adrian Measner, who had spoken out against the plan.

"We issued the letter to him, just saying that his position . . . was no longer his, that thanked him for his service," Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl said after making the announcement at a farm west of Winnipeg. "It's time to make a change."

The Conservatives are following through on an election promise to give western farmers greater freedom to choose whether to sell their wheat and barley through the board or independently, he said.

Strahl appointed Greg Arason, a former board president, to fill the vacancy on an interim basis.
He said Arason supports the government's position and will focus on "selling grain for farmers, not engaging in political activity".

Measner said Strahl never spoke with him directly about his firing.
"It isn't a very professional way to operate, but it is the method of operation that the minister has chosen," he said from his home near Winnipeg.

Measner said Arason will have to choose between listening to the board of directors, most of whom oppose the government's plan, or to listen to Strahl. "It's a no-win situation. I guess that's what I've been through."

Supporters of the board say scrapping the monopoly would effectively kill the farmer-run organization and result in lower prices.

"Mr. Strahl's approach to things has been to ignore . . . the wishes of farmers," said Bill Toews, one of the wheat board's elected directors.

Carl Siemens, who grows grains and oilseeds near Rush Lake, Sask., said Tuesday's announcement could cost the Conservatives votes in the next election.
"Although a goodly number of (farmers) actually voted for the Conservative government in the last federal election, they did so with no knowledge that this government was going to move in this fashion to remove the Canadian Wheat Board," he said.

But other farmers have been waiting a long time for what they see as a competitive alternative.
They say producers can get better prices if they're allowed to choose how they sell what they grow.

"If the Canadian Wheat Board is the best marketing agency in the world, they can prove it by competing for the farmers' grain," said Charlie Anderson, who farms in northeastern Saskatchewan.

Liberal agriculture critic Wayne Easter called the firing undemocratic and an act of intimidation.
The board, backed by the Saskatchewan and Manitoba governments, the federal Liberals and NDP and several farm groups, says the Canadian Wheat Board Act requires the government to hold a plebiscite before taking any steps to remove the monopoly.

Strahl, who has the support of the Alberta government and some farm groups, has said he'll hold a non-binding plebiscite on barley this winter, but hasn't committed to a date for a similar vote for wheat.

After Measner spoke out against the government plan in November, Strahl sent him a tersely worded letter giving him 14 days to change his stance or face dismissal.

Measner further irritated Strahl last week when the CEO stood beside Stephane Dion as the new Liberal leader made a campaign-style promise to support the wheat board.

Strahl has not had an easy time selling his new vision of the wheat board to Prairie farmers. Earlier this month, individuals who support the monopoly won four of five district elections for the CWB's board of directors.

Alberta Agriculture Minister George Groeneveld suggested that limits what Strahl can do in the way of reform. But he added he wasn't surprised that Measner was dumped.

"I think that Mr. Strahl was forced into that position," Groeneveld said in Edmonton. "When you start opposing the minister that's in charge of the show, your shelf life is probably quite limited."
Groeneveld's Manitoba counterpart, Rosann Wowchuk, said Strahl should not make any changes without allowing farmers to vote on them.

"I'm disappointed in him that he has so little respect for the producers and is prepared to subvert democracy so he gets his own agenda forward," she said.

Controlled by western Canadian farmers, the CWB is the largest wheat and barley marketer in the world. One of Canada's biggest exporters, the Winnipeg-based organization sells grain to over 70 countries and returns all sales revenue, less marketing costs, to Prairie farmers.

Measner, who was raised on a farm in Holdfast, Sask., has worked for the board since 1974, including nine years in charge of grain marketing and transportation. He became its second president and chief executive officer in January 2003.