(OTTAWA) – The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) is welcoming Tuesday’s announcement by Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Chuck Strahl that western barley growers will be given a chance to decide the future the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) through a democratic plebiscite. CFA members hope a similar announcement for wheat growers will be made soon.

“I really can’t say it any better than Minister Strahl himself did. Consultation needs to come before legislation, and a plebiscite is a very important way of consulting. With information from both sides of the debate and a clear question, producers themselves can make an informed decision” said Bob Friesen, CFA President. “But barley is only one of two commodities affected by the CWB. Wheat growers need to be consulted too. We eagerly await the announcement of a plebiscite for wheat to be held at the same time.”

The CFA recently joined other farm organizations in calling on the federal government to hold a farmer plebiscite with a clear question before it made any changes to the single desk selling powers of the CWB. CFA members firmly believe the decision to create or dissolve any marketing tool must be made by a majority of producers in the affected commodities and regions.

“Minister Strahl has listened to and heeded the voice of Canadian farmers and their representative organizations. The decision to hold a vote on barley was the right one,” said Friesen. “We now need wheat to be included in the plebiscite and for government and industry to work together to draft a clear question.” 

-30-

Founded in 1935 to provide Canada's farmers with a single voice in Ottawa, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture is the country's largest farmers' organization. Its members include provincial general farm organizations as well as national and inter-provincial commodity organizations from every province. Through its members, CFA represents over 200,000 Canadian farmers and farm families.