Opposition Blocks Conservatives From Gutting Canadian Grain Commission
Ottawa – Canada’s grain inspectors and their union applaud the move today by the opposition parties in the House of Commons to reject Bill C-13, an act that would gut the Canadian Grain Commission and undermine the interests of farmers.
“The government has known since last year that this bill was fatally flawed so it should come as no surprise that the opposition pushed today to remove it from the agenda of the House of Commons,” says Bob Kingston, President of the Agriculture Union – PSAC which represents grain inspectors.
Instead of helping Canada’s grain producers in these troubled economic times, the amendments to the Canada Grain Act in Bill C-13 would:
- Shift the purpose of the Grain Act away from protecting producer interests
- Expose producers to financial harm by eliminating the requirement for grain buyers to post security bonds
- Dismantle the Grain Appeals Tribunal which protects producers from unscrupulous behaviour on the part of grain companies
- Eliminate Commission inspection services that independently determine the quality and quantity of grain grown by individual farmers and introduce new safety concerns.
“Today’s development will give the government an opportunity to do the homework and make improvements to this bill that so many have called for. We welcome this development and urge the government to go back to the drawing board,” Kingston said.
“These changes will hurt grain producers just like the Conservative’s effort to strip farmer control of the Canadian Wheat Board which has been vigorously opposed by grain farmers,” Kingston concluded.
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good
Posted by susansmith | 10:14 pm, April 02, 2009
yup!
Posted by leftdog | 8:53 am, April 03, 2009
I wouldn't have even known about this if you hadn't posted about it... thanks for keeping your ears perked!
Posted by Unknown | 6:44 pm, April 03, 2009
Well, those amendments sound so blatantly anti-farmer that I wonder who are the wheat farmers that support the con-men party of Canada?
Posted by thwap | 8:20 pm, April 03, 2009
rumor, it just proves what a crappy job the main stream media is doing these days.
thwap, good question. So many farmers just simply ASSume that the Tories are their 'friends'! ... not!
Posted by leftdog | 9:47 pm, April 03, 2009