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Agriculture
& Agri-Food Canada News Release ACCESS TO INFORMATION ACT TO INCLUDE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD OTTAWA, Ontario - The Honourable Chuck Strahl, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, today issued the following statement regarding the inclusion of the Canadian Wheat Board (CWB) under the Access to Information Act, effective April 1, 2007. "Canada’s New Government is delivering on one of the key commitments of the Federal Accountability Act by expanding coverage of the Access to Information Act to include the CWB, as well as five foundations and five Agents of Parliament. "By extending application of the Access to Information Act to the CWB, we are making the organization more open and transparent by providing Canadians with broader access to information. "The administrative costs of the CWB now amount to nearly $70 million annually. Farmers should have a way of scrutinizing those costs. "I want to be clear that the Canadian Wheat Board’s inclusion in the Act will not require it to release commercially sensitive information. Such information is protected by the Access to Information Act. "Canada’s New Government is committed to providing marketing choice to Western grain farmers, while preserving a strong and transparent CWB." For information on the Government’s path towards marketing choice, please visit www.agr.gc.ca/cwb. For information on the Federal Accountability Act, please visit www.tbs-sct.gc.ca. -30- |