CWB Voting

[lakenheath]

Correct me if I am wrong (and there is a good chance). I heard, through the g****vine, the a substantial percentage of voters (CWB permit book holders) sell only a few hundred bushels of wheat each year.

An example would be someone's 97 year old Uncle Frank holding onto his last quarter of land on a crop-share basis. Half and half farmed on a 75/25 crop share, he would market approx. 600 bushels of wheat per year, yet his vote equals mine.

Now I gave Tom4CWB a hard time about this earlier, but something just is not right about this scenario.

Old Uncle Frank, in my humble opinion, is not a stakeholder in the grain industry. And you can bet your bottom dollar that this card carrying, NDP voting, refers back to Tommy Douglas as our saviour, rocking chair confined grandpa is a strong supporter of CWB.

I am not running down our pioneers, but merely wondering if they should have a say anymore.

I still believe that a 1000 acre farmer should have the equal vote of a 3000 acre farmer, etc. But what about the non-stakeholders, like Uncle Frank? How many of them are there and are they infulencing the results of the CWB elections?

[silverback]

How about a simple 100 tonne minimum to vote?

[cowman]

I wonder if it will matter anymore come January 24? If Harper keeps his promise to scrap the single desk then you'll be voting with your grain? They do a good job you deliver...if they don't you find your own buyer?
Maybe when that day comes there might be some opportunity in the grain business? Might not get screwed every time some processor wants to set up shop on the prairies? Instead of selling raw product we might be selling flour, beer, pasta? With the cost of freight these days in relation to grain it makes more sense to process it here, plus the added benifits of some jobs, local service/supply industry, a stronger tax base? In other words we might actually move ahead into being a first world country instead of a drawer of water and a hewer of wood, sort of thing?