Farmer's for Justice Proud at Conduct of CWB District
2 Director
(June 6, 2002 - FFJ) Farmers of the three prairie provinces are shocked that $4,000.00 was
taken from the Canadian Wheat Board Pooling Account to pay for 10
tickets worth $400.00 each to send 6 of the directors and 4 staff
members of the Canadian Wheat Board to a fund raising dinner for the Liberal
Party of Canada recently held in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
Constituents of Canadian Wheat Board Director Jim Chatenay of Red
Deer, Alberta were advised that upon Jim Chatenay arriving in Winnipeg
only to learn that he was scheduled into a Liberal political fund
raising event at the expense of the farmer pooling account caused him to
turn around and immediately board West Jet Airlines for home.
Ron Duffy, farmer and member of Farmers for Justice, claims "the
constituents of Jim Chatenay in the Red Deer area are proud that Jim has
the integrity and determination to act in the best interests of the
farmers of Western Canada."
"If the pooling account can be continually and needlessly
depleted for the benefit of political parties and persons other than
farmers, then accountability has ceased," he continued.
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Background:
Excerpt from the Edited Hansard, Number 198
(Official Version)
Tuesday, June 4, 2002
Canadian Wheat Board
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville,
Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, last Thursday 10 officials of the
Canadian Wheat Board attended the now famous Liberal Party fundraiser in
Winnipeg at a price tag of at least $400 each. The money for the
tickets was taken from prairie wheat farmers who are forced to
participate in this monopoly.
Forcing farmers to donate their hard-earned money
to the Liberal Party is clearly wrong. Does the Prime Minister not
see this as a highly unethical practice?
Hon. Don Boudria (Minister of State and Leader
of the Government in the House of Commons, Lib): Mr. Speaker,
approximately two years ago a directive was issued that crown
corporations were not to make contributions to political parties.
I committed myself at that time that if any of them did, the money would
be returned.
An hon. member: That's not a crown
corporation.
Mr. Garry Breitkreuz (Yorkton-Melville,
Canadian Alliance): Mr. Speaker, it goes beyond that. The
government appointed five of the directors present at the Liberal Party
fundraiser. They clearly contravened the code of conduct
guidelines for directions of the Canadian Wheat Board. These
guidelines state that a director's "political activities must be
clearly separated from activities related to: his or her appointment.
Does the Prime Minister support his wheat board
officials violating their own code of conduct and what will he do about
it?
Hon. Ralph Goodale (Minister of Public Works
and Government Services, Minister responsible for the Canadian Wheat
Board and Federal Interlocutor for Metis and Non-Status Indians, Lib.):
Mr. Speaker, I have no personal knowledge at all of the matters that the
hon. gentleman alleges, but quite frankly I take the allegations seriously.
I will make the appropriate inquiries and if any guidelines have in fact
been contravened, corrective action will be taken.
* * *
For more information contact:
Jim Ness: 403-577-2265
Ron Duffy: 403-885-5190
Colleen Bianchi: 403-344-4473
Art Mainil: 306-634-8009 |
