From the seducer...
<b>Single desk supporters push cause on web</b>
By ADRIAN EWINS, Saskatoon Newsroom
November 18, 2010
Supporters of the Canadian Wheat Board’s sales monopoly have launched a website urging farmers to vote for single desk candidates in the CWB director elections.
The site is sponsored by the CWB Alliance, which describes itself as a group of non-partisan farmers who understand the value of the wheat board to western Canadian agriculture and rural communities.
Alliance chair Bill Gehl, a grain farmer from the Regina area, said the group is endorsing candidates who support what he calls the three pillars of the CWB: single desk selling, price pooling and government financial guarantees.
“We believe this new website ( www.cwbafacts.ca) will be a useful source of factual information for those interested in grain marketing issues.”
He said single desk supporters and candidates are happy to talk about their views on the subject, but their counterparts who oppose the single desk system don’t seem to want to talk about that publicly.
Terms that have been used in the past to describe an open market, such as marketing choice, voluntary CWB or marketing freedom, have been missing from the public debate.
Instead, they say the CWB needs to be more flexible, more accountable and more in touch with farmers’ business needs.
“I think that (open market) option has fallen from grace,” said Gehl.
He said he believes the open market candidates are reluctant to make their views public.
“If you don’t believe in the single desk and in price pooling, why don’t you just stand up and say so?” he said. “Are you trying to fool the electorate into voting for you? Actions speak louder than words.”
The Alliance is urging farmers to look carefully at all the candidates’ policy positions and vote accordingly.
Meanwhile, farmers who didn’t receive a ballot in the initial mail-out in late October have until 5 p.m. Nov. 19 to submit an application to vote to the election co-ordinator, Meyers Norris Penny, by mailing to 2500-201 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Man., R3B 3K6 or faxing to 204-783-8329.
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<b>Single desk supporters push cause on web</b>
By ADRIAN EWINS, Saskatoon Newsroom
November 18, 2010
Supporters of the Canadian Wheat Board’s sales monopoly have launched a website urging farmers to vote for single desk candidates in the CWB director elections.
The site is sponsored by the CWB Alliance, which describes itself as a group of non-partisan farmers who understand the value of the wheat board to western Canadian agriculture and rural communities.
Alliance chair Bill Gehl, a grain farmer from the Regina area, said the group is endorsing candidates who support what he calls the three pillars of the CWB: single desk selling, price pooling and government financial guarantees.
“We believe this new website ( www.cwbafacts.ca) will be a useful source of factual information for those interested in grain marketing issues.”
He said single desk supporters and candidates are happy to talk about their views on the subject, but their counterparts who oppose the single desk system don’t seem to want to talk about that publicly.
Terms that have been used in the past to describe an open market, such as marketing choice, voluntary CWB or marketing freedom, have been missing from the public debate.
Instead, they say the CWB needs to be more flexible, more accountable and more in touch with farmers’ business needs.
“I think that (open market) option has fallen from grace,” said Gehl.
He said he believes the open market candidates are reluctant to make their views public.
“If you don’t believe in the single desk and in price pooling, why don’t you just stand up and say so?” he said. “Are you trying to fool the electorate into voting for you? Actions speak louder than words.”
The Alliance is urging farmers to look carefully at all the candidates’ policy positions and vote accordingly.
Meanwhile, farmers who didn’t receive a ballot in the initial mail-out in late October have until 5 p.m. Nov. 19 to submit an application to vote to the election co-ordinator, Meyers Norris Penny, by mailing to 2500-201 Portage Avenue, Winnipeg, Man., R3B 3K6 or faxing to 204-783-8329.
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