(The following article is from the July 1-31, 2008, issue of People's Voice, Canada's leading communist newspaper. Articles can be reprinted free if the source is credited. Subscription rates in Canada: $25/year, or $12 low income rate; for U.S. readers - $25 US per year; other overseas readers - $25 US or $35 CDN per year. Send to: People's Voice, c/o PV Business Manager, 133 Herkimer St., Unit 502, Hamilton, ON, L8P 2H3.)

People's Voice Editorial, July 1-31, 2008

Yet again, the Harper Tories have been exposed as law-breakers. A June 19 Federal Court ruling in favour of the Canadian Wheat Board found that the gag order imposed by the government on the CWB two years ago was unconstitutional and illegal. This is the third such ruling in the past twelve months.

     Judge Roger Hughes found that the government's intent was to silence the farmer-run CWB on the single desk issue. In effect, the Wheat Board was not allowed to present its case to continue the longstanding system of single-desk sales of wheat and barley, by a Tory government intent on turning over sales to the transnational grain monopolies.

     Every time farmers challenge the Harper government in court, the Tories are found to be breaking laws. In July 2007, a Federal Court ruled against the government's attempt to remove barley from the CWB single desk system through a Cabinet Decree, clearly bypassing laws which call for a producer vote and parliamentary approval of such a change. The government lost its appeal of that case in February of this year.

     Not only have the Tories wasted millions of taxpayer dollars, their illegal actions have also cost farmers millions of dollars in legal fees by forcing them into expensive legal battles for basic democratic rights and the right to free speech. Farmers even had to pay, through the Wheat Board, for the severance package of Adrian Measner, the former CWB CEO who was fired without cause by Harper against the wishes of the farmer‑elected CWB Board of Directors.

     This is just one of many examples of the arrogant attitude of the Harper government. Even without a majority in Parliament, and with the support of only one in three voters, these bullies casually dismiss any criticism of their policies. It's time for the opposition parties to bring down this government and let the voters toss the Harper gang into the trash where they belong.