Supreme Court won’t hear from supporters of Canadian Wheat Board

At least one set of legal adventures is over for supporters of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) after the Supreme Court of Canada declined to hear its case. 

A leave application to continue with a class-action suit against the federal government over the dismantling of the single-desk wheat board was turned away from Canada’s highest court. 

The group, Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board, said it’s disappointed with the decision. Steward Wells, spokesperson for the group, said in a news release that the legal system hasn’t been able to hold the federal government accountable for the “destruction” of the Canadian Wheat Board in 2011. 

“Unfortunately, we have a double standard now condoned by the Supreme Court of Canada – workers and their unions have a right to collective bargaining and to enjoy the benefits that flow from that, but farmers have no right to keep the results of their own efforts at collective bargaining and the collective ownership of real property which the single-desk Canadian Wheat Board represented.”

Wells said the changes by the government have resulted in the largest transfer of money away from farmers in the history of Canada.

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The federal minister of agriculture, Gerry Ritz, said in a statement that the ruling upheld farmers’ rights to marketing freedom. 

“The overwhelming majority of farmers have embraced the new economic opportunities created by marketing freedom and are taking Canadian agriculture to record heights. 

“Marketing freedom is and will remain the law of the land. Our Government will continue to defend the rights of farmers and will continue to work with farmers to create economic opportunities across the sector.” 

Friends of the Canadian Wheat Board said it will continue with parts of the class-action suit regarding misallocation of CWB Pool account funds in 2011/12.

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