TY - JOUR AU - Matthews Glenn, Jane PY - 2014/06/02 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - The Canadian Wheat Board, Socio-economic Vulnerability and the Neo-liberal State JF - Oñati Socio-Legal Series JA - Oñati Socio-Legal Series VL - 5 IS - 1 SE - Thematic Articles DO - UR - https://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/386 SP - 135-161 AB - <p>The Canadian Prairies is one of the world's largest breadbaskets. But its location in the centre of the country, far from world markets, increases farmers' vulnerability to the middle-men who ship, handle and market their grain. To protect them, the federal government set up the Canadian Wheat Board in 1935 and gave it monopoly marketing powers in 1943. However, these monopoly powers came increasingly under attack as a market-driven, neo-liberal agenda of free trade, small government, privatization and deregulation gained a hold in the 1980s in Canada, as elsewhere. In 2011, Canada's Conservative-led government adopted the controversial <em>Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act </em>ending the Board's monopoly powers. This legislation is controversial not so much for what it does as for how it was done.</p> <p>This paper explores the possible effects of this on Prairie grain farmers. It compares the functioning of an 'open' (or private) market with the CWB's 'controlled' market; it describes the neo-liberal challenges to the CWB's monopoly since the 1980s; and it questions the promise of 'marketing freedom' under the new <em>Act.</em> It concludes with a consideration of several over-arching concerns, including the state of parliamentary democracy and the rule of law in Canada</p><hr /><p>Las praderas de Canad&aacute; son uno de los graneros m&aacute;s grandes del mundo. Pero su ubicaci&oacute;n en el centro del pa&iacute;s, lejos de los mercados mundiales, aumenta la vulnerabilidad de los agricultores frente a los intermediarios, que transportan, manejan y comercian con su grano. Para protegerlos, el gobierno federal cre&oacute; en 1935 el Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) (Junta Canadiense del Cereal), y le otorg&oacute; el monopolio del comercio en 1943. Sin embargo, este poder se vio atacado por el avance de la agenda neoliberal de libre mercado, peque&ntilde;o gobierno, privatizaci&oacute;n y desregulaci&oacute;n que fue ganando fuerza en los a&ntilde;os 80 en Canad&aacute; y el resto del mundo. En 2011, el gobierno conservador de Canad&aacute; adopt&oacute; la controvertida <em>Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act (Ley de libre comercio para los productores de cereales)</em>, que acab&oacute; con el monopolio de la junta. Esta legislaci&oacute;n es controvertida, no tanto por lo que hace, sino por c&oacute;mo se hizo.</p> <p>Este art&iacute;culo explora los posibles efectos de esta ley sobre los productores de cereales de la pradera. Compara el funcionamiento de un mercado "abierto" (o privado) con el mercado "controlado" por la CWB; describe los desaf&iacute;os neoliberales frente al monopolio de la CWB desde la d&eacute;cada de 1980; y cuestiona la promesa de la "libertad de mercado" bajo la nueva ley. Concluye con la consideraci&oacute;n de diversas preocupaciones globales, incluyendo el estado de la democracia parlamentaria y el estado de Derecho en Canad&aacute;.</p> <p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2570821" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2570821</a></p> ER -