The National Farmers Union (NFU) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the proposal published in the April 21 edition of the Canada Gazette. This proposed regulatory change would remove barley from the jurisdiction of the Canadian Wheat Board single desk by instituting changes to the Canadian Wheat Board Regulations.
The federal government’s justification for introducing this regulatory change is based on a number of inaccurate and misleading premises. As well, the “process” outlined in the Regulatory Impact Assessment Statement (RIAS) has been inaccurately portrayed. The “process” conducted by the Minister of Agriculture was not intended to provide the government or farmers with options or a forum for legitimate discussion about Canadian Wheat Board marketing. To now try to portray the Minister’s process as a legitimate consultation with the affected parties is a gross distortion of the facts.
