[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 15 (Friday, February 15, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S889]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




            USTR DECISION REGARDING THE CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD

  Mr. BURNS. Mr. President, I rise today in joining the Secretary of 
Agriculture in applauding the decision that was reached by our U.S. 
Trade Representative this morning on the 301 investigation into the 
Canadian Wheat Board and on durum wheat. I think Minnesota is a 
producer of durum, as we are in the Dakotas and in Montana. In her 
statement--and I associate with her words this morning--we support the 
immediate actions outlined in this decision, which will help us to move 
forward, removing the longstanding barrier in U.S.-Canadian relations. 
We are committed to working with the USTR in our country and, of 
course, with the WTO, and those trade negotiations should produce 
discipline which will lead to fundamental reform.
  As you well know, that has been a bone of contention among grain 
producers in this country and, of course, with this Government and its 
relationship with Canada.
  This morning, I heard a statement from a colleague who quoted a news 
article from a western producer in Canada, and by a secondhand source, 
that claimed the Secretary of Agriculture urged her Canadian 
counterpart to lobby Congress regarding the farm bill. I find that very 
unusual. In fact, I asked the Secretary this morning about that. I 
picked up the phone and called the Secretary and she denied making any 
such statement in its entirety. She did call the Minister of 
Agriculture in Canada, and he apologized for misstatements of his 
staff. Of course, I find that everybody is entitled to their opinion 
and everybody is entitled also to the facts. I would find it very 
unusual if another country got involved in the internal affairs of 
another. They usually do not do that, although we are now, it seems, at 
the end of the debate of the farm bill. That is not going to weigh in 
as it goes into conference. It is important legislation.

  If there was ever a time for solidarity in agriculture, it is now. I 
say that to agriculturalists around the world because it seems as if we 
have gotten into this mindset that it is a right to have what we 
produce, when basically we have to figure out a way to make a living at 
it, one. Two, we don't like to see hungry people either, but quit 
putting up rules and regulations and deal with the market forces that 
would allow us to produce food and fiber in this country.
  It seems in this community and in the agricultural community, if we 
want to take a shot at somebody, instead of using a straight line, we 
use a circle for firing squads. That usually isn't a very good 
situation. This morning, I again join the Secretary of Agriculture in 
this 301 finding. Now we will move on and try to deal with the 
situation with the Canadian Wheat Board. Living on the Canadian border 
is always a source of irritation whenever we have to move livestock and 
grain back and forth across the Canadian border. Of course, with the 
culture as it is in our State, and as it is in Alberta and 
Saskatchewan, our values are alike. Most of our problems are from east 
of the 100th meridian in understanding the situations we have to deal 
with in our production of food and fiber.
  So I hope we can work this out and get away from misstatements or 
misguided statements and come together in the agricultural community 
and work together because I think the time has come that we are going 
to need some solidarity, especially from producers. I don't see 
processors having a hard time or purveyors having a hard time or any 
distributors of the food product having a hard time. But I know there 
are hard times when it comes to the production of food and fiber 
because we can't get a handle on our cost of production. We have to 
continue to think about that as Americans and think about the security 
that we have. Ours is about the only country in the world where you can 
have fresh lettuce in grocery stores in the wintertime in Minnesota.
  It is a wonderful system in this country. You don't know how great it 
is until you travel around the world. Nonetheless, there are some 
misgivings about what it costs and the work that it takes to get the 
beans to the table.
  I suggest the absence of a quorum.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will call the roll.
  The assistant legislative clerk proceeded to call the roll.
  Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent the order for the quorum call be 
dispensed with.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.

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