The leader of the official opposition, Hon. Stephane Dion, has been quoted as saying that if Harper’s Conservative Government dismantles the Canadian Wheat Board, he would reinstate it once the Liberals got back into power.
Dion should be aware that if the Board were reinstated, under the terms of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), international grain merchants would have the legal right to sue the Canadian Government for loss of anticipated profits. Since their potential profits could run into millions and millions of dollars, reinstating the Board would cost Canadian taxpayers a humongous amount of money.
In my view, the Opposition Parties in Ottawa should make every effort to ensure that the Wheat Board continues to function. That way, the Board would retain for Canadian farmers the profits that would otherwise go to international grain merchants.
