Newsroom
2002
October 22, 2002
An open letter to all western Canadian farmers
Misinformation has been rampant since a small group of Alberta farmers declared that they will choose jail over paying fines associated with a 1996 border protest.
I believe it is important that other farmers are aware of the facts.
Firstly, these people need not break the law to have their voices heard. A democratic process now exists to elect CWB directors, who set the direction for grain marketing. Since sweeping changes were made in 1998, 10 of the 15 CWB directors have been elected farmers. It is they who control the CWB, not the federal government.
In our democracy, citizens can debate issues and make their voices heard in any lawful way they choose. They can push for changes in the law. They can even be rude and noisy if they choose. What they are not entitled to do -- at least in my view -- is break the law.
The CWB has no say and no control over sentences that were determined by the Customs Act and by judges in a court of law. But it should be made clear that the penalty assessed by the courts for the farmers' infractions was not a jail term -- it was a fine. The farmers in question have been given well over a year to pay, with an extra extension recently to allow harvest completion.
Farmers who exported small, non-commercial amounts of grain in 1996 (such as one bushel to a Montana 4-H club) were not charged for exporting without a licence. Their offence was to remove vehicles that had been seized by Customs officials. However, most of the protesting farmers exported thousands of dollars worth of grain.
No one wants to see farmers in jail. Unfortunately, being jailed is a choice that these farmers say they have made to draw attention to their political concerns. Since I understand that they wish to make a public spectacle of being arrested, I hope this letter will help bring a clearer perspective to bear on such a sensitive issue.
Yours truly,
Ken Ritter
Chair, CWB Board of Directors