In October 2008, GROWMARK and the FS Co-operatives, with the guidance of the Ontario Co-operative Association, formed its first ever government relations committee, out of a recognized need to raise the profile of Ontario’s agricultural co-operative sector to the province. Chaired by Claude Gauthier, GROWMARK Ontario Region manager, and four other FS representatives from AGRIS Co-operative Ltd., Vineland Growers Co-operative Ltd., Co-operative Regionale de Nipissing Sudbury and Madoc Co-operative Association. Denyse Guy, executive director and Audrey Aczel, public affairs manager, from the Ontario Co-operative Association, round out the committee.
What have we done to date?
Over the past year, the committee has been hard at work getting organized and meeting a number of its deliverables that include:
• Holding four committee meetings, and attending two FS System General Manager meetings and the FS Summit.
• Developing an operational plan as both a guideline and a way to track the progress of the government relations strategy.
• Identifying and mapping out the GROWMARK/FS presence across provincial electoral ridings.
• Creating a statistical and historical overview of the GROWMARK System, to be used as an educational piece when meeting with government officials.
• Identifying and developing briefs on three key issues affecting FS Co-ops, to be used as an advocacy tool when meeting with MPPs and key ministries.
• Developing a government relations toolkit to equip future co-op advocates with the necessary guidance and resources.
• Attending 2009 Queen’s Park reception with 24 MPPs present, and several FS representatives having the opportunity to speak directly with the Minister of Agriculture, Leona Dombrowsky.
• Attending three government meetings to lobby for changes to the Municipal Tax Act and to promote the local food movement, including: Lou Rinaldi (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Agriculture), Wayne Arthurs (Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Finance) and Peter Hargreave (former Senior Policy Advisor to Minister of Government Services).
• Drafting and distributing a motion and brief on the 50% Rule, in an effort to achieve a consensus on its removal from the Ontario Co-operative Corporations Act. To date, nine FS co-ops have passed and one co-op has defeated the motion.
• Establishing a SharePoint site where the committee members can easily and efficiently share and access information relevant to the government relations strategy.
What’s planned for the New Year?
In the first quarter of the New Year, the committee is aiming to meet with officials from the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance, Economic Development and Trade, as well as the Premier’s office, and hoping to participate in a Liberal rural caucus meeting. In addition to building these crucial relationships, they will begin identifying and building up a base of “co-op advocates” in each of the 25 plus electoral ridings where FS co-operatives are located. Their primary role would be to assist the committee members in meeting with and educating their local MPPs on a number of key issues affecting the sector, and to help raise awareness for a provincial Co-operative Secretariat.
What is the ultimate goal?
It is the committee’s hope that through a co-ordinated government relations strategy and implementation of an advocacy campaign specific to the needs of FS co-ops, that they will gain the awareness and support they rightfully deserve from our provincial public policy movers and shakers.
For more information, please contact Audrey Aczel at 519.763.8271 x.24
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