Review of the Electoral System for Directors of the CWB
The Government of Canada has established a Panel to review the
electoral system for Directors of the Canadian Wheat Board. The panel
consists of Cecilia Olver, Greg Porozni, David Rolfe and are advised by a
special advisor, Janice Baker, the former Chief Electoral Officer for
Saskatchewan. The panel will report their findings to the federal Minister
responsible for the Canadian Wheat Board
The amendments to the CWB Act 1998 restructured the governance of the
CWB board from a small group of Government appointees to ten
farmer-elected members plus five appointed members. The issues of
accountability and democracy to farmers have been greatly improved with 10
elected Directors. Still, reforms can sometimes create more questions and
challenges.
The questions regarding the election rules and procedures that the
Panel is considering are below.
To ensure the success of this review the panel hopes to consult with as
many stakeholders as possible.
The panel extends an invitation to your association to meet with the
Panel at one of the public consultation meetings on August 15, 17, and 19
in Edmonton, Saskatoon and Winnipeg. As well as oral comments, written
submissions are welcomed as well.
In addition, the Panel will receive written briefs until September 30,
2005.
Further information regarding the review of the CWB electoral system
can be obtained at www.agr.gc.ca/wb-cb/index_e.php
The following questions outline the type of feedback that the Panel is
seeking:
- Should the current one-permit book-one-vote system be maintained or
should some form of a weighted or partially weighted ballot system
based on crop area, wheat and barley or some other measure be
considered?
- Should absentee, non-farming interested parties be eligible to vote?
- Should the minimum voting age of be lowered or remain at 18?
- Should the current composition of the ten electoral districts be
maintained or changed? Should the number of eligible voters in each
electoral district be re-balanced? Should the boundaries of the
electoral districts be changed? Should each electoral district be
wholly within only one province? If boundaries of electoral districts
are to be changed, how should the transition be managed?
- Have you been content with the manner in which the CWB elections
have been managed? How should CWB Director elections be managed? Who
should be accountable for the process? Should elections be conducted
by an independent electoral commission rather than an Election
Coordinator as has been the case? Should the Regulations provide
authority to audit the financial statements of both candidates and
third-party interveners? How should election rules be enforced?
- If you have been a candidate in the past, what are your thoughts on
the rules pertaining to candidate and third-party spending?
- How should voter eligible voters be identified for information of
candidates?
- The current criteria for being an eligible candidate are as follows:
a Canadian citizen, has attained the age of 18 years by the day
his/her nomination papers are filed, is named in a permit book as an
actual producer, or is a shareholder in a corporation, a member of a
co-operative, or partner in a partnership that is named as an actual
producer for either year, an actual producer in the electoral district
or an adjacent electoral district in which he or she will seek
nomination, neither a Member of Parliament, nor a Member of a
Provincial Legislature, not employed in any way in the conduct of the
2004 CWB Directors election. Are the criteria appropriate? Are the
criteria for being an eligible candidate correct?
- Do you approve of the current form of preferential voting system or
would you support a change to majority voting (most votes regardless
if the number is over 50% wins)?
- Do you have any comments/concerns about the CWB Director Elections?
- How should the voters list be validated?
- Are there other factors that should be considered in determining
eligible voters?
- Should candidates be provided financial support for election
campaigns?
- What should the Code of Conduct be during an election period for
candidates, existing members of the Board and the Canadian Wheat
Board?
- Is the present timing of the election process appropriate?
Written submissions will be reviewed until September 30, 2005 and
should be emailed to lewisjp@agr.gc.ca
or sent by mail or fax to:
J.P. Lewis
Grains and Oilseeds Division
Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada
930 Carling Avenue
Room 1021
Ottawa , Ontario
K1A 0C5
Fax: 613-759-7476
Telephone: 613-759-6078
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