Canadian White Board: Still Making Up the Rules As They Go Along

CWB determined to maintain its own power, no matter what

The farce perpetually surrounding the Canadian Wheat Board has reached an impressive new high in

"This Harper government has acted illegally and unethically in its attacks on the Canadian Wheat Board and it must be stopped," declared Canadian Wheat Board chairman Allen Oberg. "We have no choice but to take this stand on behalf of farmers. We will not be intimidated by bullying tactics."

A Wheat Board chairman lecturing anyone on bullying is itself a spectacle in unintentional comedy. It was, after all, the Wheat Board that had farmers jailed for daring to demand the right to market their own grain. But what's most remarkable about this most recent episode is the extent to which the CWB is willing to go in order to make up the rules as it goes along.

In 2007, the Wheat Board won a challenge against an attempt by the federal government to remove the Board's monopoly on barley marketing by claiming that any change to the board had to made through an act of Parliament.

Now, the board is claiming that the changes can only be made following a plebiscite among grain farmers. A plebiscite not unlike, say, the one held in 2007 when farmers voted to eliminate the CWB's barley monopoly.

The CWB itself has already shown that it's opinion is that the results of any plebiscite don't matter, and that it could act however it pleased. Now that the government is poised to ignore the results of a plebiscite the CWB set up to support the maintenance its own tyrannical powers, it suddenly insists that the will of farmers must be respected.

In order to do this, they're willing to go back on the legal arguments they've already offered, and insist that it really should be left up to farmers. Unless farmers want something the board doesn't want. In which case, the will of farmers should be ignored.

The Wheat Board has already cast its die on this matter: they cast it in 2007. It's time for a Canadian court to stand up and finally make the CWB play by the rules as they are, not the rules it desperately wants to make up as it goes along.

Harper to Ritz: Thanks a Lot, Gerry

In the branding war that inevitably envelopes any modern political election, Gerry Ritz may have just handed the Liberal party a potential atom bomb -- or at least a biological weapon.

In an ad released yesterday, the Liberal party has taken aim at Stephen Harper via Ritz. In detailing Ritz's outrageous and unacceptable comments regarding the Listeria outbreak, this spot has the potential to critically wound the Conservatives in virtually any riding where Listeriosis claimed a victim.

Entitled "The Real Harper", the ad describes Ritz's comments (very accurately) as "a new low".

After detailing Ritz's comments, accusing him of playing politics while 17 Canadians died -- itself a likely inaccurate claim -- the ad notes Harper's refusal to fire Ritz, accusing him of "standing by his crony".

Crony, rather than colleague.

In the end, it asks voters a very simple question: "do you really want more of this?" It's the kind of episode that may give many decided Conserative voters pause to reconsider.

In a sense, this spot takes aim at an easy target. It's easy to counter-brand Stephen Harper with an image that he'll inevitably have to wear as Ritz' party leader. But then again, considering that Harper had an opportunity to discipline Ritz -- that is, aside from a likely private screaming session -- and declined, Harper very much has agreed to take this controversy upon his own shoulders.

Of course, the ad doesn't mention a similar incident involving the Liberal party -- one that, fortunately for the Grits, didn't directly relate to the deaths of Canadians.

This ad scores a critical counter-branding hit to Harper's carefully-crafted "sweater vest" persona. (Then again, questions remain about how severe the damage really is, considering that this is an image Canadians have largely been rejecting.

Either way, Stephen Harper has no one but Gerry Ritz -- and himself -- to blame for this blow to his brand image. It will take some strenuous re-branding to try and recover from it.

It's hard to fault the Liberals for taking advantage of this gaffe. The Conservatives certainly would have done likewise to the Liberals given the opportunity.

Perhaps in time, Harper will think of an appropriate way to "thank" Gerry Ritz.

Gerry Ritz in Context

Unforunate as it is, all parties have their asshole candidates

As the controversy surrounding the ridiculous comments made by federal Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz -- not-so-cleverly dubbed "Ritz Crackers" by the Edmonton Sun -- Canadians are reminded of a sobering fact.

Many politicians are assholes.

For his own part, Ritz's comments transcend assholishness. Gerry Ritz is not merely an asshole. Gerry Ritz is a fucking asshole. (And yet while living in Lloydminster, you voted for that guy twice. Funny, that. -Ed)

In a conference call with Department of Agriculture bureaucrats, scientists and his political staff, Ritz made some... colourful comments regarding the Listeria outbreak related to Maple Leaf Foods throughout August and September.

This is like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts," Ritz remarked (cue drum beat).

After hearing Listerosis had claimed a victim in Prince Edward Island, Ritz said. "Please tell me it's Wayne Easter."

Easter has called for Ritz's resignation over the Conservative handling of the outbreak -- despite the fact that Michael McCain, the CEO of Maple Leaf Foods has already exhonerated the government, noting that Maple Leaf staff is to blame for the outbreak.

Of course, there are no political points to be scored in allowing Maple Leaf Foods to take responsibility for the matter.

Easter had previously claimed that the Tories were conspiring against him. Which is an odd accusation, considering that Liberal leader Stephane Dion is blatantly conspiring with Green party leader Elizabeth May to dislodge Conservative deputy leader Peter MacKay.

The "Ritz Crackers" affair is outrageous, but it brings to memory another outrageous episode in recent Canadian political history in which Jane Cornelius, the president of the St Catharines Liberal riding association distributed a joke about a hypothetical assassination of Prime Minister Stephen Harper -- by allied troops, no less.

Meanwhile Walt Lastewka, a Liberal candidate and former MP embroiled in the Cornelius affair by way of his dfense of Cornelius, showed considerable class recently by temporarily suspending his campaign in the wake of Tory opponent (and incumbent) Rick Dykstra's recent bereavement.

On another, distinctly un-classy, note much has been made about Harper's defense of Ritz, and for good reason. But then one also has to recall that Stephane Dion merely accepted Cornelius' apology in St Catharines and pursued no futher action.

In each case, apparently, a simple apology is supposed to make the whole matter go away. But it doesn't.

Canadians have the right to expect higher standards of those involved in politics. Just as Cornelius let down her former Liberals and the constituents of her riding, Gerry Ritz has let down his fellow Conservatives and, more importantly, the constituents of Battleford-Lloydminster.

If the individuals in question won't say so, their leaders should. In each case, the leaders in question will inevitably have to wear the indiscretions of their prematurely-excused colleagues.

There is no question that Gerry Ritz and Jane Cornelius are assholes.

Unfortunately, however, this is politics. There are plenty of assholes to go around.

Poliitcs of Fear Continue to Predominate

Some "progressive" bloggers want you to be afraid -- very afraid

Ever since the 2004 US presidential election, the politics of fear has been a hot topic in North American politics.

Progressives from both sides of the 49th parallel decried the blatant fear mongering of the Bush reelection campaign. At one point it was even suggested that terrorists had pledged themselves to attack any US state that voted for Kerry.

Meanwhile, that same year, a similar fear campaign was being waged north of the 49th parallel, as the Liberal party, beset by scandle, scrambled to make Canadians afraid of the Conservative party.

The campaign culminated with this infamous ad:



It all more or less revolves around the rhetorical bomb that was the hidden agenda -- the idea that, while putting on a benign face for the purpose of courting voters, the Conservative party actually carried a much more malignant plan which was essentially to dismantle Canada "as we know it".

Despite this so-called hidden agenda remaining nowhere to be seen during the past two years of Conservative party government, politically-motivated faux-Progressives are getting ready to launch another fear-based assault on Canadian democracy.

This time the attack revolves around Lloydminster-Battleford MP and Minister of Agriculture Gerry Ritz, whose frustration in trying to implement the government's democratically-approved agenda for the Canadian Wheat Board has apparently begun to bubble over.

This past week, the CWB continued to rebuff the democratically-expressed will of prairie grain producers when they terminated talks with the federal government regarding the ending of the board's monopoly on Barley.

"To say that I'm extremely disappointed to hear that the Canadian Wheat Board is unwilling to discuss change for western Canadian producers would be an understatement," Ritz announced.

The government will be introducing legislation into the House of Commons -- expected to be opposed by the Liberals and NDP -- to end the single-desk marketing system for Barley and move to an open market. This, in one way or another, is favoured by 62.2% of prairie grain farmers.

But the Wheat Board isn't playing ball with the farmers whose interests they're supposed to represent -- or with the government whose wheat board agenda certainly was a factor in helping them sweep Canada's prairie breadbasket during the most recent federal election.

"The board has sufficiently stalled things long enough that they'll survive until after the election," he added. "When we come back with a majority, then all bets are off."

Various faux-progressives have essentially been jumping for joy since Ritz went so far as to suggest that, if (or, in his view, when) the Conservative party is reelected with a majority that they might... you know, implement their agenda. You know... the not-so-hidden one.

One can almost sense the glee in the faux-progressive corner of the blogosphere as they anticipate maybe... just maybe... being able to peddle fear to the Canadian electorate again.

Of course, that is what makes them faux-progressives as opposed to legitimate progressives. Legitimate progressives recognize that fear-mongering is inherently regressive, no matter what kind of left-wing agenda it's used to implement. Fear undermines the crucial bonds of trust that make democracy truly work, and lead to a more cynical, less democratic, society.

Of course, to Lindsay Stewart and her ilk, this isn't an issue about "progress" or "democracy". It's simply an issue about getting their way, on every issue, regardless of whether or not they have a stake in a particular issue (it's intriguing to see how many Ontario farmers -- who voted to abolish their Wheat Board long ago -- seem to be opposed to the same thing happening on the prairies).

Legitimate progressives, meanwhile, swore off fear mongering long, long ago. They did this in the name of fostering healthy democracies, not unhealthy demagogracies.

That's what makes them progressives. Now, if only demagogues like Lindsay Stewart knew the difference.