CWB Takes $$$ from Pooling Accounts for Liberal Fundraiser!

[parsley]

dalek, your example would be similar to likening the Western Canadian Barley Growers Association wanting to speak to the Saskatchewan Rural Municipalities Association. Is that a voluntary-funded group wanting to speak to a tax-funded group? Maybe the National Ballet of Canada applied to speak as well., and a thousand other groups.

The CWB situation does not parallel your comparison. Parliament provides in their legislation for an appointed CWB Minister who directly reports to the Government of Canada. Parliament does not appoint a Cargill MInister, nor a Con-Agra Minister, but it does appoint one for the Canadian Wheat Board. The Honourable Ralph Goodale was appointed Minister of the Canadian Wheat Board! The Minister's job IS the CWB! The Minister has a legal obligation to lend his ear to the CWB. Sorry, dalek, the CWB does not need to pay for access to their exclusively appointed. Minister. Just pick up the damn phone. The Queen appoints the Governor -General. Does the Government of Canada lobby the Queen to have access to the Gov General?

Parsley

[dalek]

Parsley, I'm not trying to say it's right, but it IS the way things are going and we have to be ready to work against it in all sorts of areas. I live just outside Vanclief's riding: Guess what? He barely speaks to the ag groups in his own riding, whose leaders he grew up with. But if you want to spend $100 or more a plate to go to a Liberal fundraiser he'll be there. He went to the OFA convention banquet last year, spoke for 10 minutes (you could probably predict his speech word for word) and refused to take any questions, from an organization representing 43,000-ish farms

[parsley]

Good Morning dalek and a Happy Father's Day to you and all Fathers!

It seems as if CWB staff and the CWB Farmer Directors have evolved to the point where they see the Government and the Liberal Party as the same thing. They are not and it is a crucial differentiation. Minister Goodale is appointed by a Government representing Parliament. That Government happens to be Liberal at the moment but that can change overnight.

The Directors, with the exception of Chatenay it seems, recognize him as a Minister representing the Liberal Party of Canada. That's why they want to go to LIberal Party of Canada functions. It is the farmers' duty to remind them in no uncertain terms that this is unacceptable. It is not acceptable if they attend Liberal or Canadian Alliance or Rhinocerous Party "do's" either. The Board of Directors have lost their way and that can be the result of:

1. MInisterial influence or ministerial influence by appointed Directors.(Mr. Zinger openly broke his Code of Conduct)
2. Weak chairmanship or a dull-witted chairman
3. Political bias by individual directors that results in dysfunctionality or an unwillingness to differentiate between Government function and partisan politics function.
4. Lack of basic understanding of responsibilities by this board.
5. Some CWB staff with deep partisan roots manipulating the Board of Directors or actually running the Board of Directors. (In the National Post interview, , staff Jim Pietryk was speaking very militantly and speaking for the Board of Directors. A staffer? Wow.)
6. A self-interest Board. ( Director Rod Flaman indicated he would have attended the fundraiser had he been asked. Would it be because he likes to attend functions like this? Certainly his election platform was a dual marketing platform, hardly one that the Liberal Party of Canada supported in their Red Book, so there would be little reason for Flaman trying to touch the hem of a Liberal at the Fundraiser.)

Which do you pick dalek....all of them?

Parsley

[dalek]

Being from Ontario, I don't know that much about the CWB in particular, but judging from other boards, all of them wouldn't surprise me. By the way, I won't be a father until early December, just in time for Christmas, but catch me next year. Happy Father's Day

[parsley]

Chaffmeister says, "The best thing for the CWB to do now is to admit it was a mistake."

They still haven't!

Here is what the Chairman of the CWB, Ken Ritter, states at the Standing Committee of Agriculture on June 6, 2002

" Insofar as our ethical code of conduct, we are of the view that we have not breached that code of conduct as an organization. We had a very clear, full airing and discussion and decision around this issue. We felt it was in the best interests of farmers, that it was money well spent. Like I said, it's impartial. Our policies are impartial; they apply to all political parties. We made the decision that it was important that producers be represented at this event, and we acted accordingly."

But again, the CWB are not stating the truth. The Code of Conduct was broken in several places.

#1. Read what the Code of Conduct says and then read what they did. Here is the first way they are in direct contravention of their Code of Conduct:

"Members of the Board who are appointed by the Governor-in-Council shall not represent the CWB in making financial or other contributions to political organizations or any other candidates seeking election to government at any level in Canada. "

Mr. Ed Zinger is Minister Goodale's appointee and he attended the Liberal Party fundraiser. He represented the CWB and sat at a CWB table paid for by Prairie farmer's.

#2. This is the second way they are in contravention of their Code of Conduct:

"Partisan politics must not be introduced into the workplace in any way which creates undue or inappropriate influence on employees within the CWB"

In this case, four staff went with six CWB to attend a political fundraiser and this is extremely partisan.

The Directors did not follow the Code of Conduct and yet Mr. Ritter says " "Insofar as our ethical code of conduct, we are of the view that we have not breached that code of conduct as an organization"

" Of the view"? Wouldn't most farmers define this as lying?

You can read the full text of the Standing Committee on:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/InfoComDoc/37/1/AGRI/Meetings/Evidence/agriev73-e.htm

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Did you read the latest Western Producer?

I see the Prime Minister is singing the praises of the CWB monopoly...

It is obvious that Chretien is the boss, and there will be no significant changes till...

Clearly Chretien is flattered by what the CWB did...

Parsley,, obviously you are not a good liberal, in any sense of the word!!!

[parsley]

Tom4CWB,
There doesn't need to be any change in legislation . All the CWB Directors have to do is to instruct the CWB's Licensing Department to issue export and interprovincial licenses to farmers in Manitoba and Saskatchewa and Alberta. That's it!

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Parsley,

Did I say anything about a change in the CWB Legislation, I don't thinks so.

I was reading the Parliamentary Hansard, and the CWB interpretation is obviously, "In the CWB's opinion, that the issuance of the export license will affect orderly marketing", they will refuse the said license.

Obviously the "Dual Market" and "Humpty Dumpty" can't be put back together again theories are mainstay arguments of why licenses can't be inssued to "designated area" producers without the buy-back.

This is why the CWB monopoly defenders will continue spouting the line on these two opinions whether they are correct or not... they can't stop convincing themselves of these two issues or the reason for the CWB would cease to exist in there opinions.

The 40 days of continental barley market in 1993 is proof that the CWB can lose its monopoly and regain it under NAFTA, as you clearly stated Parsley.

But if they say something often enough at the CWB, whether it is true or not, they can make it come true, particularly if they pay $400/plate of our money to the Prime Minister's leadership fund!!!!