Fall
2015
grainswest.com
6
Words,words,words
ANYTHINGWORTHDOING ISWORTHDOINGWELL
AS AN EDITOR, I HAVE A PENCHANT
for words and grammar. I enjoy learning
new words and their definitions, too.
I’d venture to guess that as people learn
words, myself included, they can evolve
and take on new meanings. Perhaps this is
what gave rise to political satirist Stephen
Colbert’s word “truthiness,” which is now
in the dictionary.
In the 1987 cult classic
The Princess
Bride
, Spanish swordsman Inigo Montoya
works to find the man who killed his
father and avenge his death. One famous
scene shows Montoya and his friends
Vizzini and Fezzik trying to lose a man
who’s tracking them. Vizzini’s repeated
use of the word “inconceivable” perturbs
Montoya. It causes him to remark: “You
keep using that word. I do not think it
means what you think it means.”
If Montoya worked in agriculture,
he would surely be making that same
comment, but with regards to the word
“consultation.” It’s a real buzzword in
our industry—a feel-good phrase used by
many, but understood by few. An honour-
able mention goes to the word “sustaina-
bility,” and the people who try to hit that
moving target (p. 22).
Recently, the Canadian Grain Com-
mission engaged in “consultation” with
stakeholders on its idea to shift 29 wheat
varieties into a different, yet-to-be-created
class (p. 7). There’s also been “consulta-
tion” in Ontario between government and
farmers about the use of neonics
(p. 26). Lastly, the government of Alberta
has been having “consultation” with in-
dustry leaders about occupational health
and safety regulations (p. 38).
When “consultation” becomes known
as a small group of people informing a
large group of people about what they’re
going to do, we’re pushing the word to its
grammatical fringes.
I believe the appropriate word here
is “afterthought.” That is, an item or
thing that is thought of or added after
you’ve already decided on a course of
action. Consultation means meeting for
deliberation, discussion or decision. Too
often, this word ends up serving as win-
dow dressing for what in reality is little
more than a recap or a “heads-up” of a
predetermined decision. While this type
of consultation is true by the letter of
the word, perhaps it’s best explained as
breaking the spirit of the word—that is,
not everyone gave their thoughts, their
thoughts were given short shrift, or the
timing was bad.
As you read this issue, you’ll see that
consultation has become a word with a
new definition, one with its own truth-
iness. In many instances, the results of
consultation end up supporting what the
sponsoring agency intended to do in the
first place. Do your core values line up
with theirs? Great. If not? Oh well.
It seems high time to make a new
word for what consultations have become
in the world of agriculture. How about
“consultrytion”? It’s born out of “consult”
and “try.” It means you attempt to gather
individuals for a meeting of information,
but if nobody participates, or if their opin-
ions don’t line up with a predetermined
outcome, you can still say you tried, which
covers your moral bases.
Farmers need to make sure “consulta-
tion” doesn’t morph into “consultrytion”
for their own sake.
BY TREVOR BACQUE
EDITOR’S
MESSAGE
