The true story of the impending death of the Canadian Wheat Board is buried under a mass of verbiage. In plain words, Ottawa ideologues are doing the bidding of private commodity traders nationally and internationally. There are two diametrically opposed models in the food producing industries. One - the one which is losing the battle - is derived from the system of subsistence farming which began to disappear in Canada in the middle of the last century. Among its elements is locally grown food, co-operative ventures and concern for the environment.
The dominant model has only two elements - big profits now and bigger profits later.
Investors are responding to the realization that the control of land and water will produce a larger return than the Alberta Tar Sands or Saskatchewan potash. The objective of the unholy alliance of railways and international traders has always been to eliminate competition from farmer-owned companies and government marketing mechanisms.
The next target is likely to be short-line railways. When the marketing clout of the CWB is gone, expect to see the erosion of legislation governing producer cars and producer car facilities.
As an example, there is an unhappy expectation that the CN track which serves the facilities of West Central Road and Rail will again be slated for abandonment. This will be offered to a short-line operator, but not necessarily to West Central Road and Rail (WCCR), who first tried to buy 300 miles of track in 1997. When the railway refused to sell, WCCR turned its attention to replacing the elevators which were being torn down along the line.
One of the most efficient and sophisticated marketing companies in the West, Eston-based WCCR has saved its farmer customers millions. Its continued success depends on the substance of future producer car legislation and on owning, or having a congenial owner of, the tracks it uses. If the railway and big corporations have their way, WCCR will be disappointed on both counts.
Every facet of food production should be dedicated to providing healthy sustenance for human beings and a healthy planet for their descendants. Food is not a get-rich-quick scheme for the benefit of greedy investors who would never demean themselves by touching a cow's udder or using a manure fork.
