| | Minister’s Approval:
On April 3, 2007, Marketing Council updated the Honorable George Groeneveld, Minister of Agriculture and Food, on the Industry Governance Review. After hearing about our meetings with many of you, the emerging trends/issues, and the next steps in the industry governance review process, the Minister gave us his full support for this important work.
Process to Date:
Since January, representatives of the Industry Governance Review Working Group* have met with the following Boards and Commissions:
- Barley
- Beef
- Beekeepers
- Bison
- Canola
- Chicken
- Eggs
- Elk
- Forage Seed
- Hatching Eggs
- Milk
- Pork
- Potatoes
- Sheep and Wool
- Soft Wheat
- Sugar Beets
- Turkey
- Processed Vegetables
- Winter Wheat
These meetings have been very helpful in providing us with perspective on where the industry is going, what changes need to be made, and what needs to stay as it is.
We have also met with other groups including Feed Grains, Agricultural Research and Development, the Natural Resource Conservation Board, Wild Rose Agricultural Producers, and next generation producers (ages 18-35). It was interesting and helpful to hear the thoughts of the next generation producers at the four consultations in Edmonton, Vermilion, Olds and Lethbridge. They helped us understand why they want to pursue a future in agriculture, what challenges exist for them, what changes they want in the industry, how their voices can be heard, etc.
Policy Change:
One of the topics that we discussed when we met with the Boards and Commissions was the terms of office policy. We brought forward the feedback we heard through the consultations, and Marketing Council approved the following change at their last meeting:
A director of a board or commission may be exempted from the six year consecutive rule if the director is serving on a national body, or that person has been elected or appointed to a national body but has not officially taken office at the time the request is made.
Further information regarding this new policy will be provided to the Boards and Commissions in the next few weeks.
Next Steps:
Marketing Council will be hosting more consultations with producers and will also be talking with some of the other stakeholders in the industry.
We are currently compiling the notes from our consultations to date and these will be publicly shared.
Currently, it appears that few changes are needed for the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act (MAPA) and that there is a need to build/strengthen some of the supporting structures, processes, and organizations. Some examples include industry’s voice in setting Research and Development priorities, role of Marketing Council, administrative efficiencies, and cross-commodity initiatives.
We will be spending the better part of the summer working with the different stakeholders to establish governance principles and roles. Once we have consensus on these principles and roles, we will continue working with you to then build some models that enable the governance principles and roles. This is where the fun begins – co-creating the future of our industry! We continue to look forward to your input and will be sending out further details on the next steps in our next communiqué.
In the meantime, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact either me or any member of the Industry Governance Review Working Group.
Best Regards,
Don Macyk
Chair
* The Industry Governance Review Working Group consists of the following people:
Marketing Council Members:
Don Macyk (Chair) (780) 427-2164
Kenton Ziegler (403) 947-2508
Doris Ludlage (780) 724-4118
Marketing Council Staff:
Jackson Gardner (780) 422-1243
Freda Molenkamp-Oudman (project lead) (780) 644-1507
Clinton Dobson (780) 422-1921
Mike Pearson (780) 427-2164
Maryann Urbanowski (780) 427-1200
Agriculture and Food Staff:
Bob Prather (780) 427-4244
Martine Bolinger (780) 980-4230
Framework Inc. Partners:
Donna Finley |
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