During the 2004 CWB
election period, this page will focus on providing further details
regarding Eduard's election platform as provided in the biography
that was included with the ballots.
For your convenience the Recent
Updates page will flag these updates as they are added to this
site.
Regarding the platform statement:
Defend against unwarranted foreign trade actions and domestic
government's readiness to trade off the Board and eliminate CWB
price guarantees.
I am very concerned how many of our government
representatives and farm leaders are advocating in one way or
another that the WTO negotiations are a done deal and that we must
"go along to get along".
The publicly stated goal of these negotiations is to reduce trade
subsidies. To show to the world that Canadians were serious about
this, not so many years ago, the Liberals sacked the entire Crow
benefit, when only a very small part of it was actually
"trade distorting" and that that part could have been
fixed had the government not been so willing to fight the national
deficit on the backs of farmers.
As farmers, it is in our best interests to know first hand what
our government representatives and farm leaders are advocating and
agreeing to on our behalf. The
July 2004 Cancun WTO accord (link will open into a new window)
may easily be understood, based on an excellent analyses coming
from Devinder Sharma of India, as was referenced in my letter
published in large part by the Farmers
Independent Weekly.
Regarding the platform statement:
Eliminate bureaucracy and reduce costs in CWB's privatized
elections while adding basic and fundamental democratic disciplines
over a wide range of issues. Revising election rules so that
only farmers selling grain via the Board may vote.
In this election as in previous ones, CWB
farmers will be paying for the services that election coordinator,
MNP provides regarding the conduct of these elections. Part
of service paid for by farmers will include MNP
"hosting" two all candidate forums, times and locations
chosen by MNP, so the candidate information proclaims. I
would encourage you to review the map
of District 10 (link will open into a new window) and ask
yourself whether Killarney and Portage as the two places chosen by
MNP together are a good locations that the majority of CWB voters
would find fair and reasonable, or whether these two locations
suggest the possibility that other factors ruled the day. If
so, what might those factors be? And how come none of the
other candidates are prepared to question the selection of these
two locations? Please stay tuned...
Further and other platform information will be
released in the coming days. Please come by again. |