OTTAWA — The Federal Court of Appeal has ruled that Ottawa did not break the law when it stripped the Canadian Wheat Board of its monopoly over western wheat and barley sales.
The court overturned a lower court ruling that said Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz should have held a plebiscite among farmers before making the change.
The Appeal Court’s decision released Monday says there is nothing to prevent the government from changing its own law in Parliament.
The ruling might be the final nail in the coffin for the six-decade-old requirement for western wheat and barley sales to be made exclusively through the wheat board.