District Two's Acclaimed Director's Bio and
Policy Statement
(January 11, 2005 - FFJ) Hi, I'm back and here's
the latest update. My wife Olive and I are still here on the family farm
southwest of Red Deer. Our farm operation has been downsized to the
production of wheat, malt barley and canola on 800 acres. We had a
complete dispersal of our 41 year old purebred Charolais herd almost 3
years ago.
My name is James (Jim) Chatenay. I've been called a renegade, a rebel, a
radical and no doubt a lot of other names that can't be printed. What
they're really saying is that I'm just doing the job that I was elected to
do. It's the right thing to do in my opinion; no matter how difficult it
might be from time to time!
There will be a lot of work and big decisions to make at the CWB board
table in the future. Now that I've won by acclamation, I'm prepared to be
even more aggressive.
I've only missed one board meeting in almost 6 years. I'm currently a
member of the Audit, Finance and Risk Committee; the Governance and
Management Resources Committee and the CWB election sub-committee. I also
serve and represent the CWB on the Western Grain Research Foundation
Barley Committee.
I believe my presence has been felt in the boardroom and will continue to
be felt. I'm a reformist, a pro-choice director who will always remember
where I came from and more importantly how I got to the CWB boardroom. You
can count on me for more of the same! You'll continue to have my undivided
attention with total respect for your concerns. I'll make sure that your
big ticket issues stay front and center both publicly and in the board
room, in terms of facilitating the much needed changes that will have to
take place for the survival of the organization.
I know that our future lies in the hands of younger and larger farmers who
are better educated, more efficient and want choice. A growing number of
them are tired of an inefficient monopoly and want out. I want to focus on
them! I think that it's wrong to spend millions of their hard earned cash
each year, to fight the Americans on the Canadian wheat export issue;
especially when it's going no where and staff tells me that they have
successfully replaced those US markets with others that are just as good.
The Feds should pay! It's their MONOPOLY!!
I want to once again reassure you that I'm not out to destroy the CWB. On
the contrary, I'm very much afraid that unless it becomes a voluntary
organization, accountable to farmers real soon, it will self-destruct. The
CWB of the future has to be voluntary and competitive, as is the case in
Ontario! It is frustrating and costly for today's farmer to stay on teh
farm, when he or she is obligated by law to march to the tune of the
Federal Government.
Make no mistake that the CWB and it's single desk selling is a Federal
creation designed to survive with or without farmer support. It has
outlived its usefulness.
I ask you the following question. Are the premiums extracted from single
desk selling justifying the regulations, restrictions and the escalating
cost imposed on western farmers?
The answer from what I've seen so far as a farmer director is absolutely
not.
To compound the frustration, the Feds run the show! Millions and million
sof your money and not one red cent from the Feds is spent each and every
year to keep it that way, whether you like it or not! This has got to
STOP!!
To say that the CWB is farmer controlled and farmer owned is simply not
true! I've asked for a complete review to deal with this very serious
situation. I also have grave concerns about the damaging impact that the 5
appointed directors have on the well being of our young farmers. They
bring their ready made views into the boardroom without a single farmer
vote to back them, determined to save the Government monopoly until death
do us part.
I think it's wrong. I think it's also wrong to run an organization such as
the CWB with a loyalty driven by fear. It would be much healthier to have
a loyalty that is driven by common sense and efficiency. For example, we
don't need another 31 pages of new initiatives under the single desk
umbrella in order to get farmers to liek us when the single desk is the
problem.
What we really need is some kind of a fair weighted ballot that gives
those who grow the most grain, the most say! It only makes sense,
especially in today's competitive market place. Business minded farmers
who excel would like that.
I've challenged the board on several on-going issues as you can see. I
will remain a harsh critic of operations on one hand and on the other hand
will be happy to give immediate credit and praise when appropriate. I will
continue to demand accountability from staff and from some of my fellow
directors, who tend to have an excess appetite for spending too much of
someone else's money from time to time.
I wish to thank everyone for their loyal support given to me over the
years and for the overwhelming endorsement this time around as well! It's
been great and I really appreciate it!
Together we can continue to make the necessary changes that you see fit,
building a better tomorrow for our children and grandchildren. We owe it
to them!
THINK OPEN MARKET BECAUSE CHOICE MATTERS.
I remain sincerely yours,
JF Chatenay
District 2 CWB Director
PS: I will be only too glad to duscuss any concerns or questions you may
have.
Phone: 403-886-4632
Fax: 403-886-4622 |
