CWB election forums coming soon

[rockpile]

Barb and Oilcan, Thank-you for your response. First, to Barb's comments on Australia. Why do we always have to be looking at what someone else is doing? Are Canadians too niave to formulate their own strategies? The Aussies are notorious for 'working the system' to their own advantage. Keep in mind, they do not share a common border with the USA as we do. More importantly, why are we willing to be the sacrificial lambs in WTO talks, and why are we concerned about trading off the CWB. We gave and gave during the last round of talks, now it is time for others to come up to our level. Prairie farmers have given and paid. It is time for others to pay up. Besides, who has challenged the world's largest single-desk seller, the US Department of Commerce? To Oilcan, and your conerns about appointed CWB directors. First of all, at the Board level, most corporations design their boards to include participation from many areas of expertise - finance, trade, government connections, management, etc. This only strengthens their performance. It is very arrogant on our part to say that we as farmers know everything and can't benefit from outside experience. What do you and I know about international currency trading as it would relate to grain trading? Or the legal aspects of international contractual agreements, or doing business in countries all over the world? If you throw political partisanship aside for a momment, you have to admit that Goodale appointed a very sound governing group to cover these areas. Business - that's what it's about, and to succeed, you have to focus on that. The issues surrounding the board of the CWB are very political, but I can assure you that these issues do not come up at the boards of major corporations, like the banks, or Nortel, or whoever-they focus on their mandates to return profits to their stakeholders. Rockpile

[oilcan]

Thank-you for the responses. If the CWB is in need of a specific management trait, as you state the appointed directors fill, this person should be hired as an employee. Giving farmers the ability to bring forth beneficial change through better democratic representation. I have voiced my concerns and wish all farmer candidates the best, no matter what their ideology towards marketing is. What is more important is the viability of family farms in these tough economic times. As for comparing marketing systems, surely as Canadians we can bring our own ideas for positive improvements to marketing, limiting the constant bickering which only divides those whose livlihoods depend on a strong economic return from wheat and barley production.