The rats are starting to leave the sinking ship. Good luck in your new job!
Announcement
Collapse
No announcement yet.
Goodbye Deanna Allen!
Collapse
Logging in...
Welcome to Agriville! You need to login to post messages in the Agriville chat forums. Please login below.
X
-
Latest is that she was fired.
Let's see...VP of Farmer Relations. Could it be that her job was to keep farmer relations "positive", but the most recent farmer survey shows that she hasn't accomplished that?
-
She is gone???I sat in a meeting at a combine to customer forum. One of the most "the cwb can not do that or it will cease to be " people I have ever met. No compromising with her. 12 farmers said the cwb could do this or that and she sat there aand said no.Personable enough lady to talk to but I don't think she listened to farmers concerns.
Comment
-
Until the people on that board spend the vast amount of money that it takes to actually grow a crop out of their own pockets they should never truly reprsent farmers veiws. 100% of the risk to produce this grain is on our backs not theirs.
Comment
-
You are right furrowtickler. what is even worse, is I figure out their fees on the epo,fpc,dpc my farm alone probably paid her and Ward W salary. And for that I was always treated like a moron when I talked to them. I really believe that Ward W should be the next to go. He is the one with some responsibility as to why wheat acres went down in Canada last year. I think he would like to have Russia's collective farm sytem in Canada then he and the board could feel like real kingpins.
Comment
-
Winnipeg Free Press
Ottawa critic at CWB sacked
By Larry Kusch
A Canadian Wheat Board vice-president who was an outspoken critic of the Harper government's tactics in its dealings with the marketing agency was sacked Friday.
Deanna Allen, the board's vice-president of farmer relations and public affairs, had been a thorn in the side of the government as it attempted to end the wheat board's barley marketing monopoly.
Allen said in an interview late Friday that she was "dismissed without cause" by wheat board interim president Greg Arason.
"I was told that Greg had just come in from an in-camera session with the board and that he was to inform me that I was dismissed effective immediately," she said, adding that the news "came as a bit of a shock" and that she had had no inkling that her dismissal was imminent.
Allen would not speculate on the wheat board's motivations for firing her.
Wheat board chairman Ken Ritter, a Saskatchewan grain farmer, and Arason declined requests for comment Friday.
Allen's dismissal came two days after Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz appointed Australian sugar marketer Ian White as the wheat board's new president and CEO. White's three-year term begins March 31.
The Harper government fired former CWB president and CEO Adrian Measner in December 2006 over his staunch public defence of the wheat board's monopoly on wheat and barley sales.
After Measner was dismissed and replaced on an interim basis by Arason, a Harper government appointee, it was often left to Allen to deliver a stinging rebuttal as the wheat board clashed with the government over barley marketing.
Allen said all her comments to the media reflected the wheat board's point of view. "I wasn't some rogue spokesperson for the company," she said.
On Friday, Measner, now an executive in the private grain trade, said Allen's dismissal would be a shock to the organization.
"I know she's incredibly good at her job. I worked with her for many years. And she certainly knows she worked for farmers and not for the government and was not afraid to speak up," the former CWB president said.
While Ottawa has the power under the Canadian Wheat Board Act to hire and fire the wheat board president, it cannot dismiss lower-level salaried staff. The salaries of all CWB employees come out of the pockets of Prairie grain growers.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said his organization would be "very disappointed" by Allen's dismissal.
"We think she's done a real good job under trying circumstances, very professional," said the NFU's Terry Pugh.
However, Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, said Allen treated opponents of the wheat board's monopoly "in a condescending way."
"It was like she felt she knew better than I did what was best for my farm," Jolly-Nagel said.
larry.kusch@freepress.mb.c
Pulling no punches
Deanna Allen's comments have sometimes made her a thorn in Ottawa's side:
"This is one of the most irresponsible things that I think we've had to deal with yet in this whole bizarre dispute that we've had with the minister"
-- reacting to statements by former CWB minister Chuck Strahl last May that barley farmers may default on barley delivery contracts with the prospect of an open market coming soon. May 18/07
"While we've been in the penalty box, they were running a $1.2-million campaign, which was on the single desk and which was casting doubts as to whether the single desk was an appropriate vehicle for marketing at all"
-- referring to a federal print and radio ad campaign last year on barley marketing that occurred during a government gag order on wheat board communications supporting its position. Nov. 28/07
"Is he gagging customers, too?"
-- reacting to charges by CWB Minister Chuck Strahl that the wheat board had acted irresponsibly by posting letters on its website from international grain customers expressing shock at the Harper government's plans for the board. Dec. 13/06
"We get a news release saying the minister is disappointed. Well, we are very disappointed that we had to find out about the composition of the task force by news release"
-- referring to a statement by former CWB Minister Chuck Strahl that he was disappointed the wheat board had not responded to his invitation to name a representative to a government task force on barley marketing. Sept. 19/06
Comment
-
in the Winnipeg Free Press today. Arason fired Allen. Man what a meeting they had! Congratulations must be sent to the Board of Directors for making the first of many moves I hope.
Most importantly this came directly from the BOD, not the government. The NFU and FCWB can't blame Harper or Ritz for this one. Clearly the surveys came back that farmers are really upset with the CWB. And finally acting like a true corporate entity they claim they are they took responsibility and fired the person responsible for farmer relations.
Deanna did what she thought the job was, and has to pay the price of what her role did to the CWB. I hope she respects this and moves on. Clearly a woman of her talents will not go unemployed long.
Erik
A Canadian Wheat Board vice-president who was an outspoken critic of the Harper government's tactics in its dealings with the marketing agency was sacked Friday.
Deanna Allen, the board's vice-president of farmer relations and public affairs, had been a thorn in the side of the government as it attempted to end the wheat board's barley marketing monopoly.
Allen said in an interview late Friday that she was "dismissed without cause" by wheat board interim president Greg Arason.
"I was told that Greg had just come in from an in-camera session with the board and that he was to inform me that I was dismissed effective immediately," she said, adding that the news "came as a bit of a shock" and that she had had no inkling that her dismissal was imminent.
Allen would not speculate on the wheat board's motivations for firing her.
Pulling no punches
Deanna Allen's comments have sometimes made her a thorn in Ottawa's side:
"This is one of the most irresponsible things that I think we've had to deal with yet in this whole bizarre dispute that we've had with the minister"
-- reacting to statements by former CWB minister Chuck Strahl last May that barley farmers may default on barley delivery contracts with the prospect of an open market coming soon. May 18/07
"While we've been in the penalty box, they were running a $1.2-million campaign, which was on the single desk and which was casting doubts as to whether the single desk was an appropriate vehicle for marketing at all"
-- referring to a federal print and radio ad campaign last year on barley marketing that occurred during a government gag order on wheat board communications supporting its position. Nov. 28/07
"Is he gagging customers, too?"
-- reacting to charges by CWB Minister Chuck Strahl that the wheat board had acted irresponsibly by posting letters on its website from international grain customers expressing shock at the Harper government's plans for the board. Dec. 13/06
"We get a news release saying the minister is disappointed. Well, we are very disappointed that we had to find out about the composition of the task force by news release"
-- referring to a statement by former CWB Minister Chuck Strahl that he was disappointed the wheat board had not responded to his invitation to name a representative to a government task force on barley marketing. Sept. 19/06
Wheat board chairman Ken Ritter, a Saskatchewan grain farmer, and Arason declined requests for comment Friday.
Allen's dismissal came two days after Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz appointed Australian sugar marketer Ian White as the wheat board's new president and CEO. White's three-year term begins March 31.
The Harper government fired former CWB president and CEO Adrian Measner in December 2006 over his staunch public defence of the wheat board's monopoly on wheat and barley sales.
After Measner was dismissed and replaced on an interim basis by Arason, a Harper government appointee, it was often left to Allen to deliver a stinging rebuttal as the wheat board clashed with the government over barley marketing.
Allen said all her comments to the media reflected the wheat board's point of view. "I wasn't some rogue spokesperson for the company," she said.
On Friday, Measner, now an executive in the private grain trade, said Allen's dismissal would be a shock to the organization.
"I know she's incredibly good at her job. I worked with her for many years. And she certainly knows she worked for farmers and not for the government and was not afraid to speak up," the former CWB president said.
While Ottawa has the power under the Canadian Wheat Board Act to hire and fire the wheat board president, it cannot dismiss lower-level salaried staff. The salaries of all CWB employees come out of the pockets of Prairie grain growers.
A spokesman for the National Farmers Union said his organization would be "very disappointed" by Allen's dismissal.
"We think she's done a real good job under trying circumstances, very professional," said the NFU's Terry Pugh.
However, Cherilyn Jolly-Nagel, president of the Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association, said Allen treated opponents of the wheat board's monopoly "in a condescending way."
"It was like she felt she knew better than I did what was best for my farm," Jolly-Nagel said.
Comment
-
It's a good thing the Directors awoke, jamming their hands up in the air, from their snoozing at the Board Table.
Not one press release or press conference from the Choice Board directors in over two years! It's taken two years to rid themselves of what appeared to be a politics-raving employee. So much for knowing how to be boss.
The staff committed to a particular political belief seems to have been running the CWB, ignoring what farmers want, having free reign.
There needs to be several more dismissals without cause, reminding 400 CWB stafff that farmers actually PAY their salaries.
Fired on the spot.
And then MAYBE FARMERS, not employee jobs, will be considered the most important.
Parsley
Comment
-
While good news for sure she paid the price for a perceived shift from the board. You know they will do anything to keep it fully intact and letting a controversial V.P. go was only to appease and take some acute pressure off. More pressure will be needed from above and below to put a chink in the boards armor.
Comment
-
Shooting the messenger - interesting approach.
"Farmer relations" may have been in Deanna's official title, but let's face it, farmers aren't pissed off at the CWB because of Deanna - yes, she was annoying but I certainly don't see the tide turning in favour of the CWB anytime soon simply because the Wicked Witch of the West is gone. (Note to Joe Dales - this is just a metaphor. I'm not REALLY calling anyone a witch.)
The real issue remains: CHOICE. Plus the fact that the CWB is a serious impediment to the whole barley sector moving forward. Booting Deanna off the payroll doesn't change any of this. From my perspective, the real positive in this is that it may be an indication of more changes to come.
Also - I don't believe for a minute that she was doing a good job for the CWB. Even though she says she was "dismissed without cause", I'd bet that the board say her as a liability - which means she was unsuccessful at keeping the munchkins (another metaphor) appeased as the CWB chalked up poor marketing performance and losing policy after losing policy.
Come to think of it, perhaps she was an asset to the choice campaign.
And if that's not "cause for dismissal" in the eyes of the "dark side" of the board (metaphor), I don't know what would be.
OK - I've changed my mind. I'm sorry to see her go.
Comment
- Reply to this Thread
- Return to Topic List
Comment