I must take issue with several of the points raised in a Mar. 28 letter by Mr. Woods regarding the Canadian Wheat Board’s recent decision to purchase two lake vessels.
Firstly, the CWB is not a Crown corporation; it uses a shared governance model with 10 elected farmer directors and five appointed by the federal minister. These changes were brought about in 1998 when control and democracy of the organization was given to farmers themselves. Secondly, as a board it was our first preference to have financed this investment over a longer period but when that option was not available, having farmers pay for the vessels at an average $1/T per year for four years was the next-best alternative. Thirdly, as I have clearly stated before, all farmers will receive the benefits equitably from this investment and this is true whether you farm in Beausejour, Manitoba or in Linden, Alberta. As all farmers are paying for this purchase, it only follows that all would receive the benefits, regardless of geography and grain flow patterns.
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Finally, Mr. Woods also raises concerns as to the lack of consultation with farmers. In this case all directors signed confidentiality agreements as to the specifics of this initiative and given that there were proprietary issues involved, broad consultation with farmers was simply not possible. Moreover, it is the role and responsibility of this board of directors, or any board for that matter, to make decisions which will benefit farmers both in the near and the long term and this investment we believe will pay dividends to farmers in the years ahead, just as in the purchase of rail hopper cars in the past.
As to my involvement on the board of Alberta Wheat Pool and Agricore back in the 90s, I can tell you that I was one of very few directors who stood opposed to the wholesale rationalization of the rail and elevator system, the needless destruction of some perfectly good assets and out-of-control spending, which in my viewled to their demise. Just for the record.
Allen Oberg Chair, CWB board of directors Forestburg, Alta.
