The government will not appoint defeated candidates to the Canadian Wheat Board’s board of directors, says a spokesperson for CWB minister Ralph Goodale.
“The answer to that is a flat-out no,” said press secretary John Embury. And he said Goodale wants to name the appointed directors as soon as possible.
“If he can possibly have them announced before the election, he will do so.”
Embury was responding to comments by Reform party deputy agriculture critic Garry Breitkreuz, in which the MP from Yorkton-Melville said it appears the minister is waiting until after the election to announce the appointments.
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“Is he going to wait to see who is elected so if one of the candidates he supports does not win a director’s position, then he can appoint that person?” the MP asked in a Sept. 2 news release.
Embury said the minister has been consulting widely on potential candidates for the five appointed positions on the 15-member board, soliciting names from provincial governments, farm groups and grain industry organizations.
He also rejected suggestions the minister is limiting his choices to wheat board supporters.
“He’s looking for people in certain areas of expertise,” he said. “That’s the important thing.”
One of the first jobs for the new CWB directors will be to set their own pay scale, along with that of the president and chair.
A background document from the government said a recent study found annual retainers paid to directors of large private companies in Canada ranged from $9,000 to $16,000. Fees ranged from $800 to $1,000 for meetings of the full board or committees.
For crown corporations, the annual retainers are in the range of $2,600 to $7,000, with meeting fees in the range of $200 to $600.
Directors also normally receive travel expenses.
