“This is part of the scorched earth policy that Mr. Oberg is pushing.”
Mr. Nielsen accused the other directors of acting far too politically and not in the best interests of farmers. “I don’t really see what [the lawsuit] will accomplish,” he said from his farm near Olds, Alta. He added that he is also considering resigning.
Both Mr. Nielsen and Mr. Vos support the federal government’s decision to end the board’s monopoly.
Mr. Oberg acknowledged the divisions on the board but noted that a majority of directors and farmers support the lawsuit. “With the results [from the CWB plebiscite] in, farmers do support the board and I believe we have a mandate to pursue this challenge,” he said. He added that the money spent on the lawsuit is a fraction compared to what farmers will lose once the board is gone.
The federal government has argued that the move to scrap the board will free farmers to sell their own grain, much like many already do with other crops like canola. The government has said it won a majority last May, including most of the seats on the Prairies, and that was the only vote needed to dismantle the wheat board, which has long been an objective of the Tories.
Separately on Wednesday, Ethics Commissioner Mary Dawson ruled that Conservative MPs with grain farm interests are free to vote on wheat board legislation. The NDP had complained that Western Canadian MPs with stakes in the wheat or barley business would be violating the Commons’ conflict of interest code if they voted on the board legislation.
But Ms. Dawson said in a statement that she did not consider voting a conflict because the measure affects about 70,000 farmers and in her opinion therefore concerns a “broad class” of the public rather than special interests.
NDP wheat board critic Pat Martin denounced the Ethics Commissioner’s ruling as disgraceful.
“Mary Dawson never seems to find anything wrong with anything that anybody ever does. … I don’t know how this could be any more clear,” Mr. Martin said. “[The Conservatives] argue that Prairie grain farmers will make more money if they pass this bill. That means MPs who farm grain shouldn’t be voting on it. Seems pretty simple to me.”
