Library of Parliament Legislative Summary of Bill to Abolish Wheat Board Monopoly

The Library of Parliament recently made public its legislative summary of Bill C-18, the proposed Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act:

"The Canadian Wheat Board currently holds a monopoly on the export, and on the interprovincial transportation, buying and selling, of wheat and wheat products in Canada. It is the single-desk selling and price-pooling marketing board for all wheat and barley production from the Prairies and the Peace River basin ... that is destined for export markets or for domestic human consumption. The Board is funded entirely by producers (although the government does guarantee certain liabilities of the Board) and is not a Crown corporation. It is currently governed by a 15-member board of directors, five of whom are appointed by the Governor in Council and 10 of whom are elected directly by producers."

The proposed legislation foresees a transition to an open market for western Canadian wheat and barley.

It is possible to follow the progress of the bill on the LEGISinfo website.