Review of the CWB Election - Kevin Bender, WCWGA

[charliep]

by way of clarity, producers has to be changed to CWB permit book holders. change also has to be defined in terms of single desk. Will note change is a reality of the new world - will note the change to policy with the implementation of a 200 % epo for feed wheat. I note you avoid comments on CWB operations but you have to admit this was significant.

[Fransisco]

wd9 we disagree on the significance of the election, you haven't changed my mind and I obviously haven't changed yours.

But you didn't answer my question so I'll ask it again. Do you think that the Director elections which have been set up by the CWB, are run by the CWB, and are policed by the CWB are fair and impartial? Do you think that maybe, just maybe, the boards own self interest finds its way into the process?

Tom MNP is not an independent arms length operator. They get all of their marching orders from the board. The board tells them what to do and they do it. They have no independent power or authority in these elections. They do the paperwork thats it.

[wd9]

Francisco, no i don't think so. Everyone who sells wheat gets a vote. Whether it is 1 bushel or a million. The election discussion has happened on here before, vote weight by wheat amount or by individual farmers regardless of how much you deliver. If farmers were shareholders in the CWB then it would be easy. But we don't. So that method is out too.

I think it would be more fair and less opportunity to shift votes using 1 farmer 1 vote then 1 tonne 1 vote.

|i hope this answers your q.

Did anyone who is not for single desk not get a ballot? If no one does, then i guess the opportunity to vote is there and its fair.

[Fransisco]

Well then I guess we'll have to disagree on that one as well. First off I don't think these things should be up for vote to begin with. But since they are I don't think the current permit book based voting system is fair, nor do I believe that they are being run in an impartial manner.

[wd9]

So what is a fair system?

[wd9]

Fran, i also agree there is a tremendous significance on the election. Even more significant is the outcome. Do we agree on that?

[riders2010]

I actually have changed my mind and don't think it should be by vote either, it's a crop we grow we should just be able to do what we want. Therefore gov needs to get at it, but they won't. And since there is a vote 1 person 1 vote, if we head down the I got so many bushels so I want more votes, should we give more votes to people that have more money in a general election? No What if you have had 2 or 3 shit crop years compared to someone else?

[TOM4CWB]

Stubble,

Everyone on this thread will have a vote.

We will vote to see if you... Stubble... must pay our CWB buybacks over the next 5 years to market outside the CWB 'single desk'.

How would you react... if the Sheriff came and confiscated your farm equipment to pay for our marketing costs?

I have neighbours that went broke because of CWB marketing. They got totalled by the CWB and your 'good will' single desk cost them their farm.

Don't give me this song and dance Stubble... folks are going broke on $4.00 #1 Durum... and $4.40 #1CWRS.

This is a crime... and to force farmers to continue to pay 'blood money' to support the corrupt pooling system is simply absurd.

Rant ends.

[Fransisco]

So what is a fair system?

To me the only truly fair system is a voluntary wheat board.

Baring that there needs to be some kind of weighting of the ballots either based on acres or tonnage. One man, one vote is for electing governments. The wheat board is not a government, its supposed to be a business. And in a business those with more skin in the game have more say. Right now we've got people with no skin in the game who get to vote.

Baring all of that the least they could do is have an actual independent body make up the voters list, run and police the election. In the way that elections Canada currently operates.

[Hopperbin]

I hate CWB options of marketting. Totally ***@# up. I want the option to hold grain and price at the world price weather it be at harvest time or any time of the year. Give me open market.

[Fransisco]

As to the significance of the elections, yes, I think we both agree there is something important in the outcome. Where we differ is on what we think is important. You view the winners as all that matters(correct me if I'm wrong). I'm trying to take a bigger picture approach by looking at where all the votes went including the ones that went in the trash can.

I'm not sure where you stand on this but I think of director elections as only one of a number of ways of trying to measure support for the single desk. It is not a perfect measure, nor is it the only one. There is also the wheat boards own annual producer surveys and the barley plebiscite from a few years ago. I would love to see a large independent producer survey done over the designated area that would ask more neutral questions than the wheat board does in theirs but so far nobodies ponied up the dough for something like that.

Whenever I try to measure something I like to try and do it as many different ways as I can. Whether its a yield monitor on a combine, my inventory in the bins or the seed and fertilizer settings on my drill I find that I'm more likely to get it right if I can do the measurement a few different ways.

So I do place significance on director elections but not the ultimate significance. They are not the final say on the matter. They're a rough measurement at best.

[Fransisco]

Let me add this to the one person one vote debate. It doesn't always happen in political parties either. Federally, the Conservatives and Liberals both use some kind of a weighted ballot system to elect their leaders. And not that long ago the NDP heavily weighted their votes in favour of labour delegates.

[Burbert]

Sooo, Kevin's of the WCWGA most brilliant idea, is that someday farmers will be able to hire someone to market THEIR grain. WOWSERS, what a visionary. Only those who sell 349 T should be allowed to vote in cwb elections, brilliant. All the rest kin go to hell, again brilliant. MINDLESS DRIVELL to say the least. Now I know fer sure why I'll never join the WCWGA, all 20 of them musta had their heads together before they made this enlightning release!!!!!!!!! Don't know why people voted in the CWB election, like they did? Fear man, fear of goofballs taking over grain marketin and developin even a stupider system fer Comedians ta sell inta....

[Fransisco]

So how's about that final payment Burbert?

[wd9]

Francisco, the CWB is an Act in legislation. We don't have shares in it and it just barely is defined as a business. ITs a government program. Share structure voting while not impossible would seem quite difficult although it would be the absolute fairest way. But the data is always a year old. What do you do with new farmers? Drought? Crop rotations in an election year? One year feed, the next my barley makes malt and i go all thru board. One year feed wheat to hogs off board next year no rain at harvest and it is milling wheat. Oy, it gets complicated in a hurry.