Dear Editor
After the destruction of the Canadian Wheat Board, Cereals Canada, a federal lobbyist group was developed under the Stephen Harper government.
Its 18‐member board of directors is structured to have six representatives of crop development and seed companies, six for grain handling firms, exporters and processors and six for producer organizations, ensuring a two-thirds majority of votes for the corporate representatives. The current board is slightly out of compliance with the organization’s bylaws, yet maintains power in corporate hands.
Nearly half of Cereals Canada directors work for companies with head offices in other countries. Five of the seven grain handling firm representatives belong to the Western Grain Elevators Association, the lobby group for the private grain companies. All of the crop development and seed company representatives belong to CropLife Canada.
These corporations are already organized to serve their own interests.
While Cereals Canada presents itself as a collaborative organization that involves all links in the value chain, it is structured to ensure its corporate members win every vote, regardless of which producer groups happen to be around the table.
In light of these facts, what power does the farmer have?
Marcella Pedersen
Cut Knife
