Jim Chatenay got his report card last week. The grade: A plus.
The Canadian Wheat Board director handily won re-election in District 2, taking 69 percent
of the votes in a three-way race against single desk supporters Ken Larson (21 percent) and
Adam Campbell (10 percent).
During the past two years, Chatenay often found himself in hot water with other wheat
board directors for his outspoken support of dual marketing and public criticism of board
policies and programs.
He insisted he was just reflecting the views of his Alberta constituents and would await their
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verdict in the next election.
“Then my report card went out. The producers spoke loud and clear that they kind of like
what I’m trying to do. It’s very encouraging.”
Only 34.3 percent of eligible voters in the district cast a ballot, a figure that puzzled and
disappointed all three candidates.
Larson thinks farmers are feeling so overwhelmed by change and so bombarded with
contradictory information about the wheat board that they decided to opt out of the process.
Campbell said he was appalled at the “absolute and complete” apathy he encountered among
voters during the campaign.
He conceded there’s no disputing the fact that a big majority of those who voted endorsed
Chatenay, but he remains convinced that a larger turnout would have meant more votes for
him or Larson.
“We have a core group in Alberta who are very motivated to vote against the wheat board,”
he said, while an even larger group appears not to care one way or the other.
Chatenay said it will be nice to finally have an ally on the board, in the person of fellow dual
marketer Rod Flaman, elected in District 8, and vowed to keep fighting for deregulation and
a dual market.
“We’re twice as strong as we were three days ago,” he said.
