Council of Canadians chairperson Maude Barlow spoke in defence of the Canadian Wheat Board at a rally in front of the CWB offices on Main Street in Winnipeg today.
The Winnipeg Free Press reported earlier today, “Canadian author and activist Maude Barlow, National Chairperson of the Council of Canadians, is in Winnipeg today to denounce the end of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly. The national voice for liberal policies is the lead speaker at a rally over the noon hour to support the wheat board’s stance against the Harper government.”
To watch a 5-minute of her speech, please watch below or go to http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=USxYgWMZhC0.
This past September 14, the Council of Canadians signed on to a National Farmers Union letter-writing campaign to defend the Canadian Wheat Board. That letter states, “The CWB provides fair, equitable, reliable and cost-effective service to farmers. The existence of the CWB provides stability in uncertain times, and is a foundation of Canada’s grain sector. Ending the single desk authority of the CWB would throw western agriculture into turmoil and would transfer wealth created by Canadian farmers to big private, often foreign-owned grain companies instead of being returned to farmers and spent in their communities.”
You are encouraged to add your name to this letter by going to https://www.cwb.ca/db/corp/petition.nsf/onlinepetitionWeb?OpenForm. If you live in Manitoba, go to http://www.gov.mb.ca/farmers/. If you are a farmer, the National Farmers Union is asking that you fax to them (at 306-664-6226) a hand-written letter explaining why you support the Canadian Wheat Board. They will then fax your letters on to all MPs and Senators.
For Council of Canadians campaign blogs on the Canadian Wheat Board, go to http://canadians.org/blog/?s=%22canadian+wheat+board%22.