Strahl fires president of Canadian Wheat Board
CTV.ca
News Staff Updated: Tue. Dec. 19 2006 3:43 PM ET
The federal agriculture minister has fired Adrian Measner, president of the embattled Canadian Wheat Board.
Officials with the board say Chuck Strahl gave Measner a termination notice today.
Strahl made his announcement at a staged rally west of Winnipeg. Farmers who oppose the wheat board's current monopoly on wheat and barley sales surrounded him.
He appointed Greg Arason, a former wheat board president, as interim president. Arason supports the government's plan to end the board's monopoly. "Arason will focus on selling grain, not engaging in political action," Strahl said.
In late November, Strahl sent Measner a fax saying he was considering terminating him.
Ken Ritter, chairman of the farmer-run organization, said the letter amounted to two week's notice. The board sent Strahl a fax imploring him not to fire Measner.
The Conservative government wants to end the board's monopoly over the sale of western wheat and barley -- a promise made in their 2006 election platform. Their plan would allow farmers to sell either to the board or independently.
Critics of the plan say ending the board's monopoly would effectively cripple the organization and result in lower prices for most farmers.
Measner had been one critic of the plan. He said the government should hold a plebiscite among farmers before proceeding with ending the board's monopoly.
Strahl has promised a non-binding plebiscite on barley this winter, but hasn't committed yet to a similar vote for wheat.
Federally, the NDP and Liberals both support the board. Measner stood beside Stephane Dion when the new Liberal leader promised to restore the board's monopoly if elected.
The NDP provincial governments in Saskatchewan and Manitoba support the status quo.
Alberta's Conservative government would like to see changes. Groups like the Western Canadian Wheat Growers and Western Canadian Barley Growers have always supported ending the board's monopoly.
In recent board elections, the ratio of board members favouring the status quo versus those who want to end the monopoly was maintained.
"You either have single-desk selling or you have don't have a CWB and they have presented no evidence that would counter that contention," said Mark Wartman, Saskatchewan's agriculture minister, the wake of the vote. "Clearly, the majority of farmers are not buying that nonsense about dual-marketing."
Strahl begged to differ.
"Other people would counter that in the federal election, 85 per cent of the MPs elected in wheat board country were Conservative,'' he said on Dec. 11. "And Conservatives campaigned openly and aggressively on moving to marketing choice. "People make decisions for all kinds of reasons, but the input that's going to be most valuable as far as changes to the board goes is going to be the plebiscite."
Strahl came under fire earlier this fall for striking the names of some farmers off the voting list for such a plebiscite.
The board was established by the federal government in 1935 to help give prairie farmers more marketing clout. An elected 15-member board administers it on behalf of more than 85,000 farmers.
The CWB is the world's largest wheat and barley marketer, controlling more than 20 per cent of the global market.
The board sells grain to more than 70 countries and returns all sales revenue to farmers, less marketing costs.
However, proponents of change say that in an era in which market pricing information is instantly available via the Internet, farmers could earn better returns by marketing their own grain.
With files from The Canadian Press
© Copyright 2006 CTV Inc.
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