Mr. Speaker, when Reformers asked the minister of agriculture what he would do to improve the operations and accountability of the Canadian Wheat Board, the minister always dodged the question by saying wait for the report of his hand picked western grain marketing panel. Now this same minister ignores its recommendations. Why?
In the ag minister's recent open letter to farmers he said that it is the quality of the support that he is considering more than the quantity. Read his lips. His opinions will take priority over the opinions of the majority of farmers. If the marketing panel's unanimous report is not a quality report, what else could possibly be good enough? Why did he even commission the panel of experts?
The minister tries to excuse his inaction by saying this is a dispute between groups of farmers. Wrong. He is the one who has created and fuelled the division.
Who should control the Canadian Wheat Board, prairie farmers or the minister and his bureaucrats? The minister's own weakness, indecisiveness and lack of action for the past three years is going to destroy a valuable marketing tool for western farmers.
What about the broken election promise for a plebiscite?