CGC Appointment

[TOM4CWB]

Bduke et el,

On producer security;

I just read my Commodity Perspectives...
17.7mil t short of beans... US to run out of wheat by May 31...

500Bil liquidity insertion by EU central banks... Morgan Stanley to get 10bil from Asia Pacific to meet requirements... $20Bil auction requested $61bil of liquidity...

Obviously:

We are headed into the most volatile financial time in history... with the grain trade the most exposed on swings in the market... and we should abort federal oversight that actually costs less than 5% of the CGC's budget?

How stupid could we be?

Being that no one else can do this job, let alone do it better...


What on earth are we smoking here?


The CGC IS/has the only reasonable people to do this job... The oversight of folks knowing the quality issues... leave them with a synergy and knowledge that preserves our trade and commerce system... BECAUSE they know what is happening... and all the problems... intimately and before they hit the fan!

ACA/CIBC is the perfect example of how well our credit rating system works.

It doesn't. They are in the scam as well as everyone else.

From A to Bankrupt in one ratings change!

And I am to depend on these people to assure my grain gets paid for next month, year... etc.?


IP contracts assure me I CANNOT get paid CASH.

I spoke to Milt last night... we had the system set to resolve many of the issues that needed resolution in 1998.

Goodale chose to do nothing.

Now we are asking us to go out into the dead of winter naked when it is minus40C.

Hope those smoking reefers can keep us with a high pain threshold while we watch our extremities freeze off!

[TOM4CWB]

I second that motion on the appointment!

Sincerely, I pray that Elwin will have the wisdom of Solomon... wish him the best and congatulate him in his appointment.

[wilagro]

Another "old" Reformer gets his patronage reward. This Federal gov't is so transparent...dey don't fool nobody...no how.

[Kodiak]

Wilagro, would you expect the Conservative Government to appoint a Liberal or an NDP'er, when they know that person would not carry out their policies? Perhaps even sabotage them?

Governments appoint people of like mind a who agree, at least in principle, with their policies. To do otherwise would really not make much sense now would it Wilagro.

The Liberals did the same thing, and will again next time they're in Government. Ross Keith on the CWB board, for example. Donna Welke assistant CGC commissioner.

But given the history of voting patterns in the grain belt, when the Libs appoint their people, will they represent and follow the expressed wishes of the farm vote? Not likely, unless things change drastically and farmers actually vote Liberal, which isn't too likely. So we'll have the spectre of a Liberal Government imposing its policies (and appointing Liberals to do it) on a part of the country who by and large voted against those very policies and people. What would you say about that Wilagro?

[cropduster]

Speaking of appointments, word is Ritter`s associates are trolling for a job for him..........maybe new security guy for the Major dump??????????

[wilagro]

Kodiak: Oh, I understand the who's and why's. The CGC in theory should be apolitical and should make wise decisions no matter who is in power in Ottawa.

Hermanson got a nice juicy plum because of who he knew. End of story...we can live with it.

[Kodiak]

I might agree with you Wilagro that the CGC "should be" apolitical. But the reality is when its a Government agency, its political. Nothing, including a "theory" that even politicians might want to believe, will change that. It's true for the CGC, and its even more true for the CWB.

No matter what anyone can say, or what anyone wants to believe, these are political organizations. Therefore there will always be polical controversy involving them.

So instead of depending on Government to do what can be done by commercial contract, we should reduce or remove the influence of political institutions on the industry. That's the best way to get the 'politics' out, and to set the stage for the industry to thrive.

[parsley]

Kodiak shared some pearls of wisdom. Read them a second time.

Parsley

[TOM4CWB]

Wilagro,

Erwin will work for every cent, he will earn every penny he is paid...

This is one of the two positions, the other being the CWB... that we cannot afford to get wrong.

It is political, as it was when Goodale was in charge...

And Goodale FAILED to work with logical hard working people like Comm. Milt Wakefield who tried without success to fix the CGC. Goodale didn't have the time or will to resolve CGC issues. I hope Minister Ritz does.

The CGC in the grain sector is the "Bank of Canada" of the financial services sector... it would be as absured to deregulate/pull CDIC coverage and let the Bank of Canada be totally run by the banks... this is basically what is being sought in the CGC Act changes. CGC Services offered today are non-WTO countervailable, trade neutral and for the benefit of all Canadians.

The Federal Finance Dept has being trying to slip this one by for some time...

[wmoebis]

I am having a hard time to figure out why these changes seem to be needed.

They talk about the cost that is ultimatly passed back to the producer. How will this change? There will be a cost either to run a clearing house or a cost if we aren't paid for our products with no recourse.

To me this is a bigger issue, to the producer, than the whole CWB debate. With or without the CWB we need cost effective quality control and financial insurance.

Here too, like the CWB, they need to have a look at the operations personel and management personel to see that they are upholding thier mandate. If not, remove/replace and revamp.