Bill C-18: Time to scrap the Canadian Wheat Board once and for all

OTTAWA - The National Citizens Coalition is calling upon Canada's Senate to respect the rights of western farmers and pass Bill C-18 without delay.

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The National Citizens Coalition placed a newspaper ad in the front section of the National Post today, urging the Senate to act decisively on Bill C-18. "The Canadian Wheat Board deprives western farmers of hundreds of millions of dollars each and every year," says Peter Coleman, President and CEO of the National Citizens Coalition. "Today, the Senate has a real opportunity to stand up for the rights of Canadians - and we urge them to take this Bill seriously." The Canadian Wheat Board's monopoly on western grain prevents farmers from receiving fair market value for their crops, and also threatens farmers with jail-time simply for selling their crops to buyers of their own choosing.

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Bill C-18 will finally provide choice to farmers - to market their crops independently or through the CWB. The House of Commons has already passed C-18 by a vote of 153-120 this week. It is long-past time for the CWB and its political allies in Ottawa to stop putting their own interests ahead of the western farmers they claim to represent. "The CWB has been funding an expensive legal challenge to Bill C-18, just to protect their lucrative monopoly," says Coleman. "It is highly offensive and inappropriate for the CWB to be using farmers' own funds to fight against the expansion of farmers' rights and freedoms." The National Citizens Coalition has been working hard for over twenty years to bring about meaningful reform of the CWB. With Bill C-18 now set for debate in the Senate, we are eager to see our Senators stand alongside western farmers. "The CWB has been trying to steamroll over western farmers' rights for decades," adds Coleman. "Make no mistake - western farmers deserve all of the same rights and freedoms as farmers in the rest of Canada, and it is time for the CWB to respect these rights." Peter Coleman President and CEO C: (416) 388-5633 Email: pcoleman1@rogers.blackberry.net

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