Grain Action

www.Grainaction.ca

Canadian Grain Commission and Bill C-39
Bill C-39: A threat to producers & Canada's international reputation

Bill C-39 would eliminate or reduce several services and regulatory oversight activities of the Canadian Grain Commission, leaving producers newly disadvantaged in their dealings with grain companies and undermining the quality and food safety assurance programs Canada's international reputation for excellence are built upon.
The Grain Commission has served as an independent referee and honest broker to settle disputes between Canadian grain producers and the powerful companies which buy and export to ensure producers are paid fairly.
The Commission has also served as the body that can determine the amount producers, grain companies and the Canadian Wheat Board are paid based on the CGC's determination of grain weight and quality.
The Commission provides independent, objective and comprehensive information about the quality and quantity of Canadian grain that is crucial to the international marketing efforts of the Canadian Wheat Board.
Threatens Canadian grain producers

These roles will dramatically diminish if C-39 becomes law. The bill would kill the Commission's "inward" inspection and weighing service leaving producers newly disadvantaged in their dealings with grain companies when it comes to determining grain weight and grade.
With the loss of the Commission's weighing and grading service, producers may not be paid for the quantity and quality of grain delivered. Currently, the Canadian Grain Commission routinely revises upward grain grades and corrects quantity measurements, resulting in fair payment to producers.
While the bill provides that producers have the option to hire a private company to grade and weigh their grain, no companies capable of the task exist today.
The bill would eliminate the requirement for grain buyers to post security bonds and expose grain producers to financial harm in the event of a grain buyer bankruptcy or refusal to pay.
C-39 would eliminate the Grain Appeal Tribunals which protects producers and the Canadian Wheat Board from unscrupulous behaviour on the part of grain companies. In Vancouver alone, it is normal for more than 100 appeals to be launched in a day.
These changes may result in increased costs to producers with the shift to a for-profit service delivery model.
The bill proposes a new purpose clause which dilutes the intent of the Grain Act to protect producer interests.
Risk to Canada's international reputation

Our grain is in demand because no other country offers a quality guarantee backed by a system of government inspection as stringent and comprehensive as Canada.
To protect our quality brand, Canada even has programs and procedures to prevent Canadian grain from being mixed with imported US product to ensure the integrity of Canada's quality guarantee.
Along with Canada's international reputation as a producer of the highest quality, at risk is the quality premium paid to Canadian producers.
Once this "quality incentive" to ship Canadian grain separate from American grain is lost, we expect Canadian grain will be shipped overland, mixed with the lower quality American product and shipped through US ports.
This will have significant downstream consequences for the Canadian economy as lucrative business is lost at Canada's ports.
Ignores the unanimous advice of an all-party committee of the House of Commons

After extensive study of the future of the Canadian Grain Commission, the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture published a report and made several recommendations which were supported by all parties, including the Conservatives.
Yet, the Minister and his officials have chosen to ignore the Committee. In several respects, the provisions of Bill C-39 are directly opposed to what the Committee recommended.
For instance, while the Committee recommended CLEARLY protecting the interests of Grain producers the current legislation eliminates Grain Appeal Tribunals. (Section 38)
Although the committee specifically asked for and received a report discussing options for contractual security the legislation undermines producer security.
Although the committee recommended increased funding for the CGC to ensure long-term sustainability the bill is silent.
Although the committee recommended that the CGC receive adequate funding to be able to properly benchmark other options through a cost-benefit analysis, and a three year pilot, the bill supercedes those recommendations by aggressively cutting regulatory responsibilities and services immediately.
The legislation seems to be at odds even with the government's own response to the Committee's report.

Category:

Nonprofits & Activism

Tags:

• Labour
• Wheat
• PSAC
• WHSC
• Grain
• Commission
• Agriculture
• Farmers
• Think
• Public
• Bill
• C-39
• Federal
• Government

[truth1234567890]

Wow! What "genius" pumped money into this gerbil brained piece? 430 views and I bet must of them were accidental hits by guys searching for " Action"

[dgi007]

@truth1234567890 I assume you watched it by accident ? stick to your crappy stop motion vids. Cheers !

[leekadams]

There is no guarantee that a good job will be performed. Only a truly impartial federal agency can and has guaranteed this for nearly 100 years. These government services are the only services that should continue. They are not for profit, only to preserve Canada's good reputation of quality and quantity.

[leekadams]

I liked it. It's true that C-39 (then re-introduced as C-13) would have comprimised Canada's reputation for deilivering a good product. Privatization of these services would have disastrous results if allowed to continue. Allowing private companies, who are only interested in profit and personal gains, to control the safety of food in this country is absurd.