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1998
Bill C-4 prepares CWB for the next centuryDate: June 11, 1998
Winnipeg -- Today's passage of Bill C-4 by Parliament will turn control of the CWB over to farmers. Bill C-4, An Act to amend the CWB Act, will bring about some of the biggest changes the CWB has seen in its 63-year history.
"This is an historic day for farmers," said CWB Commissioner Gordon Machej. "Farmers have been empowered with control over the world's largest wheat and barley marketing agency."
The passage of Bill C-4 means farmers could be electing a board of directors as early as this fall. Ten of the 15 members of the new board of directors will be elected by producers.
Bill C-4 will also enable the CWB to offer farmers new pricing options, more flexibility and enhanced cash flow. For instance, the CWB will be able to close the pool accounts, and therefore pay out the final payments to farmers, prior to January 1.
Bill C-4 was first tabled in the House of Commons on September 25, 1997. It was drafted after more than two years of consultation with farmers and the Canadian grain industry.
The CWB is one of the world's largest wheat and barley exporters, with annual sales revenue over $6 billion. It markets Prairie-grown wheat and barley to over 70 countries around the world. As the farmers' single-desk marketing agency, the CWB returns all sales revenues, less the cost of marketing, to wheat and barley farmers in Western Canada.
