Staying the course at the CDC

Thursday, May 23, 2013

by BETTER FARMING STAFF

The Canadian Dairy Commission’s chairman will return for a two-year term.

Yesterday, federal Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz announced he had re-appointed Randy Williamson to the Commission’s top spot.

The federal news release announcing the re-appointment describes Williamson as a former business executive who began his career in 1974 with the Fraser Valley Milk Producers and subsequently took on key roles at two dairy processors in British Columbia and then at Saputo in Montreal before retiring in 2006. He was first appointed as Commission chairman in 2007.

Williamson’s re-appointment follows last year’s appointment of New Brunswick farmer Jacques Laforge as the Commission’s chief executive officer for a three-year term. Laforge is the former chair of Dairy Farmers of Canada and a strong supporter of supply management.

The two executive positions are also dedicated seats on the Commission’s three-member board. Commission member Gilles Martin holds the third seat. His three-year term ends in July, says Chantal Paul, a spokesperson for the Commission.

According to the Auditor General of Canada’s 2011 special examination report, the Commission is a federal crown corporation that coordinates federal and provincial “policies and roles in managing the dairy industry in Canada. Acting as both a facilitator and stakeholder in various forums that influence Canadian dairy policy, the Commission supports the interests of all dairy stakeholders — producers, processors, exporters, consumers and governments.”

There are 61 employees.

The Canadian Dairy Information Centre website says that in 2011 Canada’s dairy industry generated $5.8 billion in net farm receipts and $13.7 billion in sales — a volume that represented a more than 16 per cent share of the country’s food and beverage sector.

More than 80 per cent of Canada’s dairy farms are located in Ontario and Quebec. BF