The Globe and Mail reports this evening, “The Conservatives in the Senate are trying to expedite the government’s legislation to disband the wheat board by holding their own committee hearings before the bill even reaches the Red Chamber. That bill is likely to be passed by the House of Commons within the week.”
“The Liberals in the Senate have indicated they intend to call many witnesses before the legislation is put to a final vote and sent off for Royal Assent. So Conservative senators introduced a motion to allow the Senate’s agriculture and forestry committee to begin hearings on the wheat-board bill immediately, getting a start on a potentially long witness list. The Liberals countered by introducing a number of amendments to the motion, which prompted the Conservatives to impose time allocation. The pre-study motion is now like to come to a final vote early next week.”
The Harper government has stated that it intends to have C-18 – the legislation to undermine the Canadian Wheat Board – passed by Christmas. The House is scheduled to adjourn on December 16 and reportedly the Senate will sit a week longer than the House to get the measure passed.
The Council of Canadians will learn this evening if it has secured intervenor standing in a legal challenge against the federal government on C-18. That challenge argues the Harper government failed to fulfill its obligations under Section 47 of the Canadian Wheat Board Act, which requires a vote by grain producers prior to taking actions to remove the single-desk marketing authority of the Canadian Wheat Board. That court case is scheduled to be heard on December 6.
To take action today to defend the Canadian Wheat Board, please go to http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11909. To better understand the role of the Canadian Wheat Board, go to http://canadians.org/blog/?p=11957.
