The legislation to end the Canadian Wheat Board's single desk received final approval from the House of Commons Monday evening.
 
Voting to a continuous applause, the Conservatives carried Bill C-18 through with a 153-120 vote.

The Marketing Freedom for Grain Farmers Act now moves to the Senate.
 
Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz says Senator Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate, knows the legislation is a priority for the Conservatives.

"Certainly she's on board with moving this through. As we've always said, we need clarity and certainty. We need this done before they rise for Christmas, so we can get Royal Assent on it, and so farmers, the new entity and industry itself can start offering pooling, hedging and forward contracting," says Ritz.

"Their agenda is theirs. I don't set it. Certainly my advice to them would be (to approve it) as soon as possible. I know they're facing the same silly tactics that we faced in the House of Commons, but at the end of the day they have assured me they will use the resources at their disposal to make sure they hit the target that has been set," he says.

Several dozen farmers from Western Canada were in the visitors gallery on Monday to show their support for MPs who voted in favour of the bill.

Meanwhile, former CWB chair Larry Hill, and representatives from the NFU, held a press conference in Ottawa Monday afternoon to "mark one of the darkest days in Canadian parliamentary democracy and public policy history."

"Today, public policy in Canada has been set back at least 100 years," said Hill.
 
Donovan Fehr spoke with David Anderson the day after the Bill passed...