The Origin of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Corporation

The Origin of the
Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Corporation

Brendaren Farms - March 29, 2001
by: Edwin Wallace

my rants
On more than one occasion your readers have seen my rants concerning the Saskatchewan Wheat Corporation. (Formerly the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.) These attacks on SWC miss-management, which many agree are completely justified, have not, in my opinion, used a wide enough brush in their application.

Stock
Exchange corporation
It is time that former loyal members of the Pool were reminded that although it was the initiative of the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool board of directors and management to change the co-operative into a Stock Exchange corporation they needed a lot of help!

bill #04
That help came in the form of a private members' bill #04, introduced into the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. That was back in the Spring of 1995.

March 15,
1995
I guess there was a little anxiety about what was taking place, because the Standing Committee on Private Member's Bills did request and receive the testimony of witnesses - mainly opposed to the modification to the Act governing the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Presentations were made on the evenings of March 7 and March 15, 1995.

brief
My own very critical brief to the Committee "Hearings" was one of many that cautioned members of the legislature about what they were about to do - DESTROY THE SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT POOL.

unanimously
To make a short and very sad story even shorter, the members of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, unanimously passed the new ACT - not even the decency of one vote in opposition! At the time, the SWP was the golden child of the NDP government - you couldn't distinguish between Pool policy and government agriculture programs. A former Pool president had become a chief financial advisor to the premier.

"market place"
Across the isle, the opposition parties - never philosophically able to stomach the idea of co-operatives anyway, where more than eager to cast their votes for Pool destruction. They only hoped that the then great potential of the Pool would make their "market place" look better. By the Way, the Tories (Now Saskatchewan Party) were also the most aggressive in questioning of those presenting briefs in opposition at the Committee Hearings.

black mark
So, gentle readers, as we think about the legacy of our present and past leaders, we should attribute to Mr. Roy Romanow, not the pretty sticky stars of good will and adulation created as part of his Office's myth, but rather, a great, big, bold, black mark on his record, for having succumbed to the wishes and white washing of the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool board of directors ( A member of which is now president of the SWC).

disastrous
move
This one misguided, disastrous move destroyed the hard work of so many Saskatchewan producers - past and present.

I'm Edwin Wallace

The Origin of the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool Corporation

Brendaren Farms - March 29, 2001 by: Edwin Wallace

my rants	On more than one occasion your readers have seen my rants concerning the Saskatchewan Wheat Corporation. (Formerly the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool.) These attacks on SWC miss-management, which many agree are completely justified, have not, in my opinion, used a wide enough brush in their application.

Stock Exchange corporation	It is time that former loyal members of the Pool were reminded that although it was the initiative of the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool board of directors and management to change the co-operative into a Stock Exchange corporation they needed a lot of help!

bill #04	That help came in the form of a private members' bill #04, introduced into the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan. That was back in the Spring of 1995.

March 15, 1995	I guess there was a little anxiety about what was taking place, because the Standing Committee on Private Member's Bills did request and receive the testimony of witnesses - mainly opposed to the modification to the Act governing the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool. Presentations were made on the evenings of March 7 and March 15, 1995.

brief	My own very critical brief to the Committee "Hearings" was one of many that cautioned members of the legislature about what they were about to do - DESTROY THE SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT POOL.

unanimously	To make a short and very sad story even shorter, the members of the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly, unanimously passed the new ACT - not even the decency of one vote in opposition! At the time, the SWP was the golden child of the NDP government - you couldn't distinguish between Pool policy and government agriculture programs. A former Pool president had become a chief financial advisor to the premier.

"market place"	Across the isle, the opposition parties - never philosophically able to stomach the idea of co-operatives anyway, where more than eager to cast their votes for Pool destruction. They only hoped that the then great potential of the Pool would make their "market place" look better. By the Way, the Tories (Now Saskatchewan Party) were also the most aggressive in questioning of those presenting briefs in opposition at the Committee Hearings.

black mark	So, gentle readers, as we think about the legacy of our present and past leaders, we should attribute to Mr. Roy Romanow, not the pretty sticky stars of good will and adulation created as part of his Office's myth, but rather, a great, big, bold, black mark on his record, for having succumbed to the wishes and white washing of the former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool board of directors ( A member of which is now president of the SWC).

disastrous move	This one misguided, disastrous move destroyed the hard work of so many Saskatchewan producers - past and present.

	I'm Edwin Wallace