Agriculture committee  My contract is with the board of directors of the Canadian Wheat Board. In my terms, I'm accountable to them. I understand that the minister appoints me, and that could create a difficulty, as it has, I believe, in the past. What I'll be endeavouring to do is try to not have that occur, but I don't know the circumstances that may arise.

Agriculture committee  That's true.

Agriculture committee  It may be that farmers in other places think that they would like to join in what has been a fairly successful set of pooling arrangements over a long period of time. I'm not really very competent to answer that. I think those are more political questions than actual commercial questions.

Agriculture committee  I don't know that.

Agriculture committee  That's on two fronts. First, in terms of the survey results, that's something I'll take back and talk to the board of the Canadian Wheat Board about in terms of your request. With regard to the contingency fund, that's something that will be subject to our annual report and our annual accounts.

Agriculture committee  I haven't really contemplated that at all, I've got to say. Our current mandate is for western Canadian wheat and barley, and I suppose that's something that, if it were contemplated, the board of directors would look at. My role is to see a strong Canadian Wheat Board that is effective into the future and in marketing, however it's deemed that it should market.

Agriculture committee  There's a lot in the question you've asked. First, I came here understanding a reasonable amount about the issues here, but you can never understand those issues fully until you're on the ground and working through them. So I'm still in the process of working through those, to some extent.

Agriculture committee  That's the policy of the board of directors.

Agriculture committee  Am I under oath?

Agriculture committee  With regard to single-desk selling, I have run single-desk operations in the past, and I have to say that in the right market circumstances, the concept of a single seller rather than multiple sellers to a market makes ultimate sense. That's a theory, and from my point of view, I can see the sense in that.

Agriculture committee  That's correct. But at the end of the day, what I believe is important is to make sure that the marketing system we have in the future, not the marketing system we have today, adds value. So that's what I'll be looking at. I'll be trying to make sure that the single-desk selling system we have adds value, and I'll be looking to demonstrate that in terms of the way we operate.

Agriculture committee  I think its universality is mainly its strength. I think it's problematic with regard to whether there can be a dual marketing system or a choice system and what the role of the CWB might be in that. That's something I think we still need to have a good look at and discover. I think there might be circumstances in which that might be reasonable.

Agriculture committee  I have not been asked to make it part of my mandate, no.

Agriculture committee  No.

Agriculture committee  No.