2009-08-31 1. GM Wheat is back. Email to Carole Swan, head of the CFIA see BELOW
2009-08-31 3. GM Wheat Critique of Penner’s “Synchronized introduction of GM Wheat”
= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =
TO: Carole Swan
Agriculture Canada
Head of the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency)
carole.swan __AT __inspection.gc.ca
Dear Carole,
I am sending recent developments in the battle over GM wheat to an anti-terrorist squad in the RCMP so they might better understand how so-called “terrorists” are the consequence of Government that serves corporate interests.
We let the CFIA (you) know that:
- GM wheat serves the interests of transnational corporations.
- There is solid evidence to show that GM wheat does not serve the common good of Canadians or Americans or of people in other countries, especially developing ones.
- We do not want Monsanto’s herbicide-tolerant (GM) wheat. There was so much resistance you didn’t proceed with registration when the Liberals were in power. That was back when Francois Guimont was president of the CFIA – I believe you will be familiar with the history.
- But then the CFIA quietly registered BASF’s “mutagenesis” herbicide-tolerant wheat.
- We told you in very large numbers that we do not want “harmonization” of Canadian regulations with American because the licensing bodies in the U.S. are run by the likes of Monsanto, Dow, BASF and other of the chemical/biotech/pharmaceutical corporations. They buy their way. As you and we well know.
- We fought down the introduction of GM alfalfa, working with people in the U.S. (UPDATE: no, they got around that one, too.)
- But then you, apparently in “harmonization” with the U.S. FDA, on the same day in summer, registered GM SmartStax corn. Genetically engineered for resistance to no fewer than 8 chemical applications for weeds and insects. It is OUR FOOD we are talking about here.
- Now we have a renewed effort in relation to GM wheat, this time for the “synchronized introduction of GM wheat” (all the chem/biotech corporations working together with the Governments of Canada, Australia and the U.S.). See the article published in the Financial Post, August 18th (Link no longer valid…/2009/08/18/the-future-of-wheat.aspx.) It’s written by Rolf Penner on behalf of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association. It’s a thinly-disguised piece for the industry.
The CFIA has a history of working for the benefit of the industry; I view this article as nothing more than the blueprint that will be followed by
you.
On August 26 I emailed ‘rpenner AT wheatgrowers.ca’ requesting a copy of the “joint statement” regarding the “synchronized introduction of genetically modified (GM) wheat” to which he refers in his article in the Financial Post (I was unable to find it by googling). Rolf has not replied.
The transgressions against the common good have very serious consequences for our food supply and for the environment.
Myself and others have been banging our heads against the wall dealing with the CFIA.
The story sent to the RCMP uses the example of GM wheat to illustrate how so-called “home-grown terrorists” become these so-called “terrorists”. I will cc you.
Citizens do have power when pushed to the point of using it.
Yours truly,
Sandra Finley
(Contact info)
= = = = = = = = = = = = =
THOUGHTS AND PHONE CALLS, ACTION
“God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion . . . what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?” (Thomas Jefferson)
I think we can de-rail GM wheat AGAIN, before it gets out of the starting gates AGAIN.
It can be done quickly, it won’t be an intensive, year-long battle with participants from around the world, as it was before – – IF we can hit it hard, in volumes, right now.
I am so sick of having to fight these corporations and their government collaborators that I have sent an email to the RCMP – to the “anti-terrorist” squad so that from yet another real-life example they understand how it is that so-called terrorists become so-called “terrorists”.
Really we are only people fighting for what is right FOR EVERYONE. You don’t have to be too smart to figure the GM wheat one out.
EMAIL ADDRESSES
(1) Carole Swan carole.swan@inspection.gc.ca
She’s in Agriculture Canada, Head of the CFIA (Canadian Food Inspection Agency). Responsible for registering GM wheat
(613) 773-6000
Or Sherry at (613) 773-5762 if you wish to phone.
(2) Gerry Ritz, Federal Minister of Agriculture (from Saskatchewan)
Constituency Office North Battleford
Tel: 306-445-2004.
I phoned and spoke with “Dan”, Ritz’s assistant.
I could not keep the edge out of my voice.
GM wheat serves no one’s interests except the corporations’ like Monsanto, Dow, BASF.
I noted that we fought down GM wheat while the Liberals were in power.
Now it is the Conservatives.
And it is no different.
Ritz’s federal office:
EMAIL: correspondencem@agr.gc.ca
(613) 759-1059
Todd McKay Director of Communications
I was also referred to the Policy advisor for the Western Board
Jim Scott
But I told them that GM wheat is not a matter for people from the West.
It is a matter for ALL CANADIANS because it is about our food supply.
Which is when they advised to use the email correspondencem@agr.gc.ca
Use all the email addresses.
(3) LIBERAL CRITIC FOR AGRICULTURE, Wayne Easter
Phone: 613-992-2406
E-mail: eastew@parl.gc.ca
(4) NDP CRITIC FOR AGRICULTURE, Atamanenko
Telephone: 613-996-8036
Email: Atamanenko.A@parl.gc.ca
Email: AtamaA@parl.gc.ca
Constituency office Castlegar, British Columbia
Telephone: (250) 365-2792
Email: atamaa1@parl.gc.ca
(5) BLOC QUEBECOIS CRITIC FOR AGRICULTURE
Mr. André Bellavance
Email: BellaA@parl.gc.ca (French preferred)
(6) the PRAIRIE RECOMMENDING COMMITTEE FOR GRAINS
HAH! They changed their name. They are now the Prairie Grain Development Committee (PGDC).
http://www.pgdc.ca/ Sorry I don’t have time to explain to newcomers. I see where the CFIA (Cdn Food Inspection Agency) has been able to finally remove a significant block to the biotech corporations taking control of the registration of GM wheat. The recommending committee for WHEAT (for all 4 grain sectors) is now INDEPENDENT of the plenary session.
ALL the grain sectors used to have to get the approval of the plenary session in order to proceed to the CFIA for registration.
(Corporate grain interests have now replaced the public interest players in the PRCG.)
The last we looked at it, the CFIA had been trying for 3 consecutive years to break down the structure that required plenary session approval. They’ve succeeded. Now the industry only has to buy off the people in this one (wheat) sector. The way is eased or prepared for getting GM wheat approved.
I don’t know the current arrangement. In the past Agriculture Canada was in partnership 50/50 with Monsanto in the development of GM crops. You and I were footing half of Monsanto’s research bill! And then guess who was responsible for registering the seeds: Agriculture Canada. Nice, eh?
The Executive Committee for the PGDC is listed at
http://www.pgdc.ca/contact.html
I’m going to email them, too.
The BIG problem is that wheat is a pillar of our food supply. You would not believe the number of food products of which it is an ingredient. The NUTRITIONAL value of wheat has serious consequences for the health-giving-ness of the food we eat.
If it is engineered by the criterion of whether it can withstand chemical applications (EIGHT applications in the case of the recently-licensed SmartStax corn) with no reference to its contribution to the IMPROVEMENT of its contribution to the healthfulness of the population, then once again the Government is serving corporate interests, not ours.
As I understand the Executive Committee of the PGDC, the ONLY interests represented on the Recommending Committee for registration of grains are those of industry.
There are NO nutritionists. NO allergists. NO people with backgrounds in the consequences for the environment of introducing MORE crops that require heavier chemical loads, etc.
The introduction of GM wheat will have very bad consequences for human and environmental health and for the health of democracy. I will summarize some of the detail below, in refutation of the article written by Rolf Penner, Manitoba vice-president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, for the Financial Post, to promote “the synchronized introduction of GM wheat”.
There’s one huge pile of lies and propaganda. Fortunately a good number of us have been through them all before.
With regard to the RCMP:
Will I become a terrorist? … if we can work together .. maybe it won’t be necessary.
Acts of non-violent resistance are increasingly characterized as acts of terrorism, as though they are a threat to our peace and freedom.
Thomas Jefferson:
“Experience hath shewn, that even under the best forms (of government) those entrusted with power have, in time, and by slow operations, perverted it into tyranny”
“The spirit of resistance to government is so valuable on certain occasions that I wish it to be always kept alive.”
“God forbid we should ever be twenty years without such a rebellion . . . what country can preserve its liberties, if its rulers are not warned from time to time that this people preserve the spirit of resistance?”