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By BRUCE MAGNUSON

On the order paper for the next Parlia-
mentary session is Bill C-15, euphemisti-
cally referred to as PBR: An Act Respecting
Plant Breeders Rights. First introduced on
May 9, the government sent C-15 to second
reading only two weeks later, signalling its
desire for speedy adoption, despite all of this

_ bill’s moral, social, economic and ecological

implications.
Bill C-15 would allow for the virtual pat-

_ enting of all new plant varieties. It would

give the agro-giants exclusive rights to

_ market in Canada all the crop varieties they

develop.
Seed patent legislation is the thin edge of

__ the wedge to exclusive corporate control of
_ the world’s food supply. As the result of

advances in bio-technology, scientists are

_ now able to develop new varieties of micro-
_ organisms, plants and animals. The U.S.
already permits full patent rights on these
_ life forms, and Canada is being pressured to
— follow suit.

The new bill is also consistent with the
Canada-U.S. trade deal, reflecting U.S.
demands that the “intellectual property
rights” of U.S. seed corporations be
respected in Canada as they are at home:

Crops developed by the transnational
seed companies are designed to be grown
with capital and technology-intensive farm-
ing techniques. In Canada, this encourages

_ the decline of the family farm. In the devel-

oping world, it exacerbates economic injus-
tice as large landholders drive peasants off

_ their small plots of land.

These countries develop massive debts
and balance of payment deficits as the cost
of imported agricultural seeds, machinery
and chemicals rises much faster than the
price of the crops produced. This is particu-
larly ironic, since the genetic resources on
which these seeds are based were mostly
taken from the developing world without
compensation.

The transnationals taking over the seed
industry also manufacture chemicals and

pharmaceutical products. These corporate
giants Sandoz, Pfizer, Upjohn, Dupont,

and others have limited interest in develop-
ing plants which are naturally resistance to
ew pests and disease — quite the con-

Canada

Breeders’ rights bill poses

SASKATCHEWAN WHEAT.
environment, food supply.

They are developing plants which are
dependent on higher levels of fertilizers, and
which tolerate higher levels of pesticides.
The result of this trend will be higher input
costs and greater health risks for farmers,
and an increased burden on toxic chemicals
in our environment and food.

New varieties are developed for eco-
nomic reasons, including higher yields, uni-
formity, stability and ease of transportation.
Meanwhile, corporate breeders have sacri-
ficed qualities such as flavour and nutri-
tional content.

As threatening to a stable food supply is
the shift in seed research from the public to
private sector. The Department of Agricul-
ture’s seed bank, a repository for hundreds
of thousands of plant species, has been the
victim of massive cuts, as have local
research stations across the country.

Publicly developed special purpose seed
varieties, suited to a wide range of locations
and environmental conditions are becom-
ing increasing unavailable and expensive as
the transnationals concentrate their effort
on a narrow selection of varieties for the
larger American and Western European
market.

As traditional seed varieties disappear,
farmers will become totally dependent on
patented seed. The cost of royalties for the
new private varieties will be added to the
cost of food.

corporate control over food

. Corporate control over seed development threatens

Nor is cost isn’t the only factor. Food isa
powerful political weapon and hunger is a
prime source of world tension. If we are to
have a world where there is peace, then we
must ensure that at least the bare essentials
of life are shared.

This warning appeared in August issue of
Union Farmer: “If there is anything to be
learned by history and experience, we
should look south of the border for shadés
of things to come should the PBR become
law in Canada. -

“The Plant Variety Protection Act (the
U.S. version of PBR) came into effect in
1970. Since that time, the “total market
concept” of major multinationals has
become firmly established. ~

“Agribusiness has sought and conquered
the entire food chain, right from the field
direct to the processed product. Agribusi-
ness is in the position to dictate the future of
agriculture globally — who will eat and
what they will eat. Agribusiness has the
capital, and technology, and therefore con-
trols the markets. Governments have little
or no power over them; they know no
national boundaries.”

If we believe the right to food and a clean
environment is a key commodity, then we
can not create a system which encourages
ownership of life-forms — the most basic
of which is seed — by corporations whose
primary motive is profit.

Fight goes on against Rafferty Dam

Construction has resumed on the con-
troversial Rafferty Dam on the Souris Val-

_ ley in Southeast Saskatchewan, following a

Sept. 1 go-ahead from federal environment

_ minister Lucien Bouchard. According to

environmentalists here, the minister has

acted in “blatant disregard” of possible eco-

logical results, public opinion, and even his

- Own government’s guidelines.

Opponents of the project have announced

new strategies, including close monitoring

of construction, public campaigns, and pos-

_ sible legal challenges. One such challenge

from the Canadian Wildlife Federation led
a federal court to quash the dam’s licence
last April. Bouchard’s decision effectively
re-issued that license with 22 new condi-

tions.

The new challenge to the licence could be

_ made on the grounds that Bouchard failed
_to refer the project to an independent review

panel. The federal government’s Environ-
mental Assessment and Review Procedure
guidelines say this should be done if “public
opinion ... is such that a public review is
desirable,” or if a project has “significant”

_ environmental impacts. Bouchard chose to

ignore the views of dozens of organizatior~
and tens of thousands of maij-1989
calling for just such >

ie

_ ~mnber 18, 1989

Kimball Cariou

Environmentalists also doubt that Bou-
chard’s 22 conditions can all be met. For
example, one point calls for replacement of
federal pasture lands with “equal lands.”

One valley rancher actively opposed to
the dam is Don Wilkinson, a Prairie Farm
Rehabilitation Administration pasture man-

ager for 31 years. He says there is simply no .

such land available in the area.

Other conditions are as unlikely to be_

met, opening the door for severalian.
lenges. are already

“Friends of. d violations
Gerre-46 Me pro}

+h wu VIStS
ject to re~*

FROM SASKATCHEWAN

of the new licence. A vigil has begun to save
the Mainprize Regional park near Estevan.
Built entirely by volunteer labour, the park
is named for a doctor who treated victims of
the RCMP attack on coal miners in 1931.

McKinney and others fear that the park's.

symbolic importance could Jeasnized for
‘Basin Devplopmer, c

ee ine his 12-year battle against the
“Garrison Diversion Project in Manitoba, —
McKinney remains confident of success. As

he says,

“the fight will go on.”

:
i

‘Tritium sales
condemned

The Avs: 30 announcement that
Onte#0 will allow foreign sales of
aadioactive isotope tritium, a substance
used in the manufacture of nuclear wea-
pons and for fusion research, has
brought instant reactions from peace,
environmental and other groups who
charge the decision helps fuel the arms
race.

“This process is completely deceitful,”
explained Ann Rowan, spokesperson for
the Toronto Disarmament Network
(TDN). “All decisions about the sale and
transport of tritium have taken place
behind closed doors. Much as Liberal
Premier David Peterson’s cabinet will
deny it, this decision will result in Onta-
rio tritium being used in nuclear wea-
pons.” TDN and ACT for Disarmament
co-sponsored a picket at Ontario
Hydro’s Toronto headquarters Sept. 1,
and delivered a formal letter of protest of
Queen’s Park.

Tritium, used in nuclear weapons’
triggers, is produced by Ontario Hydro’s
CANDU reactors. All tritium used in
U.S. weapons previously came from a
now-shut nuclear power plant in Geor-
gia and, despite the fact that Ontario
cabinet guidelines prohibit use of Onta-
rio tritium for weapons, Energy Minister
Lyn McLeod admits it will be difficult to
assess that the U.S. does not use the
Canadian product for military purposes
or to displace other supplies which are.

Election rights
suit launched

EDMONTON — An Edmonton bus
driver is taking his fight to contest an the
Supreme Court of Alberta.

In a press conference last week, Brian
Mason told reporters the Local Authori-
ties Election Act, which prohibits city employees
from being nominated for city council, is
an infringement on the rights of 30,000
civic employees in Alberta who are
denied the right to seek municipal office.

Mason, a nominee of the Edmonton
Voters Association in the city’s ward 3,
lost a challenge before the Court of
Queen’s Bench last month when the
Election Act was upheld.

The driver says he will run, regardless
of the outcome of the appeal. It is
expected to be heard before the Sept. 18
nomination deadline, but Mason says
the uncertainty is interfering with cam-
paign preparations, making it difficult to
get campaign workers and raise the
money needed for the campaign.

Mason says he based his decision -~

e support he has receive? “
hs nae la Snes want represen-
UNI will fight to protect commun-

ities ; from unwanted development and
who will insist that ward three is not
always at the bottom of the list for com-
munity facilities and at the top of the list
for land-fill sites,” he said.

The Edmonton Labour Council has
established a defence fund to help Mason
in his legal battle.