Wayne Easter

[Privilege, November 1st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I am very supportive. We have to keep in mind that this was a set-up question by the governing party on the other side, a soft lob, of which it tried to put misinformation in the House, which affected the privileges of the member for Egmont.

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 31st, 2006]

Then, Mr. Speaker, the minister should give farmers the right to vote.

This report was written by and for grain companies. What about Canadian producers?

The U.S. tried 11 times to challenge the Wheat Board and lost every time. A U.S. wheat industry source said that the timeline is not crucial to the United States producers as long as Canada eliminates the monopoly powers of the board.

Why is the government selling out to the United States grain trade and pilfering farmers for $655 million?

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 31st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the new government can take credit for one thing. It has established a new low for task force reports.

The Migie report completely fails to address the key question of who will benefit from the government's attempt to destroy the Canadian Wheat Board, with no witness list, no public consultations, no economic analysis, and no authority from farmers as to its recommendations.

Will the minister admit that this report is nothing but a complete farce, garbage the report as Conservative waste, and allow producers a vote as established by law?

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 31st, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the new government can take credit for--

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 30th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the Minister of Agriculture has indicated that his stacked task force has tabled a report with him on the Canadian Wheat Board.

Will the minister at least confirm to the House that whatever recommendations are considered will not happen unless and until the farmers have a vote on a clear question as related to that report?

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 26th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, yesterday the Prime Minister said that the government had put the Wheat Board under access to information. Actually, the government was advised by its legal counsel not to include the Canadian Wheat Board because it was not a government agency and the government did not.

Access to information was squeezed in by the NDP member for Winnipeg Centre during his convenient love affair with the Conservatives.

Is it the intent of the government to include all grain companies, such as Cargill and Agricore, under access to information or does the Prime Minister just want to give multinationals an advantage over the farm owned farmers marketing institution?

[Questions Passed as Orders for Returns, October 26th, 2006]

With regard to the report “Empowering Canadian Farmers in the Marketplace”: (a) what have been the specific responses prepared by the Department of Agriculture and Agri-Food to any or all of its recommendations; and (b) what have been the specific responses prepared by any other federal department or agency to any or all of the recommendations?

[Canadian Wheat Board Act, October 24th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, I rise on a point of order. For the information of the member opposite, I called for a Canadian potato commission 15 years ago.

[Canadian Wheat Board, October 23rd, 2006]

On October 17 the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food said that he suggested to the Canadian Wheat Board that the board review the voters list and he claimed that the board agreed with him. There was no suggestion; the minister instructed and the board had no option but to comply. As a result 16,000 producers have been disenfranchised of their democratic right, most due to lost crop.

Will the government stop at nothing to destroy the board? Will the minister come clean today, table his instructions and apologize for misleading the House?

[Agriculture, October 19th, 2006]

Mr. Speaker, the minister has not answered a question with facts since January.

First, why is the minister involved in collusion with the grain companies as opposed to supporting primary producers?

I might add, the Prime Minister promised cost of production in this House and during the election. The minister, last Thursday, contradicted the Prime Minister and stated cost of production was too expensive.

Will the minister now support the Prime Minister and go to cost of production?