1 August 2012
Kindersley, Saskatchewan
The Government of Canada is committed to creating open markets that will attract investment, encourage innovation, create value-added jobs and build a stronger economy for all Canadians. To this end, on August 1, 2012, Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the coming into force of Bill C-18, the Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act, which gives Western Canadian grain farmers the freedom to choose the timing, the buyer and the price that suits their bottom line for their wheat and barley sales. The Act fulfils commitments made in Budget 2011 and the 2011 Speech from the Throne.
The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act was tabled by the Harper Government on October 18, 2011, and received Royal Assent on December 15, 2011. With the coming into force of the Act, Western Canadian farmers may now choose how they market their crops for the first time in 70 years and may contract their wheat and barley to the buyer of their choice, like farmers in other parts of the country. The voluntary Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) remains a viable marketing option for Canadian farmers and is poised to compete for farmers’ business in this new era of marketing freedom.
Western grain producers grow world-class food in a global marketplace that is ripe with opportunity. With global population increasing every year and demand for high quality food and agriculture products on the rise, the Act puts wheat and barley farmers back in the driver's seat so they can seize these opportunities.
The Harper Government continues to work with its provincial counterparts, producer groups and the CWB to ensure an orderly transition to an open and competitive Canadian grain market.
Canada is the world’s fifth-largest exporter of agriculture and food products, with exports hitting an all-time high of more than $40 billion in 2011.
Additional information on marketing freedom can be found at agriculture.canada.ca/freedom.
