The Rural Voice, 1979-01, Page 3Inside this month
Special features
New Farmers
Swine Symposuim
C.C.A.T. Open House
O.F.A. Convention Highlights
New Delegates
Chemicals & Environmentalists .
Regular features
A Matter of Principle
Up and Coming
Voice of a Farmer
Rural News in Brief
Mailbox of the Month
Advice on Farming
The Rural Family
The Young Farmer
Farming Around the World
Classified
Perth Federation
Bruce Federation
Huron Federation
P 5
P 10
P 12
P 14
P 15
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P. 10
P. 11
P. 18
P. 19
P. 27
P. 28
P. 35
P. 40
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P. 47.
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Cover Photo by By Sheila Gunby
the rural
Voice
Published monthly by McLean Bros. Publishers Ltd., Box 10, Blyth, Ontario,
NOM 11i0. Telephone 523-9646 or 527-0240. Subscription rates: Canada $3;
Single copy 50c. Editorial board: Bev Brown, Sheila Gunby, Alice Gibb, Rhea
Hamilton, Adrian Vos and Susan White. Advertising representative: Barbara
Consitt, Telephone 527-0240. Staff reporter: Debbie Ranney. Authorized as
second class mail by Canada Post Office. Registration number 3560.
Opinion
Big Brother
This Department requests to extract from your records the
following information for the 1976-1977 calendar year.
[1] Names and addresses of member producers.
[2] Total sales by above through the Board
[3] Access to cancelled cheques.
The above quo station is from a letter scnt to farm marketing
boards by Revenue Canada. taxation branch.
It has always been the normal practise for marketing boards to
co-operate with the tax auditor in suspected cascs of tax evasion
by individuals. This time however, the tax man wants to take a
leap into the Orwellian nightmare of "Big Brother". by
demanding tax information about all members whether suspected
of tax evasion or not.
It is no wonder that Marketing Board officials are upset.
Government intrusion into society has become so all
pervasive, that it has been necessary to pass a "Bill of (tights".
a bill that is the pride of John Diefenbakcr. Government
information on individuals is not accessible, even for correction
because Canada has no freedom of information law. Government
by "Big Brother" has given the impetus for the forming of a
national organization, where people band together to defend
their privacy.
It has led to inquiries into police snooping and is generating
wide spread concern about the use of the Social Insurance
Numbers for things that have nothing to do with social
insurance. allowing government access to complete files on
individuals form cradle to grave. Ancone ho has read George
Orwell's novel, 1984. will recall that every step of every
individual was monitored by microphones and television cameras
in home and office. as well as in the streets.
If Canadians don't resist this newest intrusion. we are all in a
step closer to that nightmare. The approach is gradual and
,iIths. but once the anonymous government burcaucratcy has
its hands on a piece of our lives, it becomes almost impossible to
w rest it away.
Here is one issue where producer and consumer should stand
shoulder to shoulder, for "fishing" by tax oftici :Is doesn't stop
with marketing boards. Car dealers have already been asked to
report who buy suspiciously expensive cars. Next thing we know
children will be asked to report suspicions about their parents.
Caveat.
You saw it here first
Two of Ontario's major farm organizations. the OFA and the
NFU have called on the province within the last month to
investigate growing foreign ownership of -farmland. In mid-
December Liberal Agriculture critic Jack Riddell asked ag
minister Bill New pian to set up a commission of inquiry on the
subject.
It was back in an October issue that Rural Voice carried a story
on growing foreign corporate ownership of land in Western
Ontario. We'd like to think that story, By Adrian Vos. helped
alert politicians andlarm groups and create some of thn current
interest in the subject. Remember. you read about it here first.
THE RURAL VOICE/JANUARY 1979 PG. 3