The Wheat Board

I want to be honest with this. I have been pretty open about the fact that I actually support the Government's position on the Canadian Wheat Board. And let us be clear what that is exactly. The Government of Canada's legislation will make the Canadian Wheat Board voluntary. It will not dismantle it. Some may kick and scream about slippery slopes. Don't. I've been saying since the debate on marriage that I will not buy into slippery slopes. End of story. And the piece of legislation - known as the Marketing Freedom for Farmers Act - will make the Wheat Board voluntary. End of story. That only makes sense. It should not be a criminal act for one to market their own goods by their own means.

But here's the crux.

The way the Government went about introducing this legislation was apparently illegal. So the question isn't about whether or not we support the government's position on this issue, but rather whether or not the Government's actions were actually criminal in the fashion in which this legislation was introduced. A ruling today confirms that, yes, they were. To say the least I find this development intriguing. I have this Government on a number of policy points. But I cannot defend the degradational effect they have had on Canadian democracy. The 1998 Act that amended the Wheat Board Act stated that a government must first seek approval of the Wheat Board's members before altering it in such a way. This Government didn't. That makes their actions illegal. That makes their actions criminal. End of story.