Glenn Black of Providence Bay on Manitoulin Island wrote to Mike
Dungate, executive director of the national chicken agency, in early March asking for
a reply about how the agency meets its responsibilities as outlined in the 2001
federal-provincial agreement on supply management for the chicken industry.
Dungate has not answered so Black says he’s going to take the
issue up with the Farm Products Council of Canada, which is responsible for
overseeing the Chicken Farmers of Canada national agency.
That ought to be easy for the council to answer because presumably the agency has to answer all of the questions Black has posed under the council's responsibility to hold the agency accountable.
But, then again, maybe nobody's really holding the chicken agency and provincial marketing boards to account.
Here’s the key questions Black posed in March after noting that he’s
a leading member of Small Flock Poultry Farmers of Canada and that there are
probably 35,000 small-flock chicken farmers across Canada, making them the
overwhelming 92.8 per cent of all chicken farmers:
What considerations, factors, policies, and procedures are used
to evaluate the
effects CFC’s action and inactions will have (and ultimately do
have) on the
majority of all chicken farmers in Canada (ie. “small flockers”)?
How does CFC ensure that the individual rights of small flock
farmers are
respected and not infringed upon by CFC’s actions and/or
inactions?
Please provide us with objective, independent evidence so that
we can readily conclude
that the chicken supply management system under FPA2001 (federal-provincial agreement of 2001) is
designed, managed, operated, and maintained in a manner so that:
a. it is orderly;
b. it is co‐ordinated;
c. it is flexible;
d. it is market responsive;
e. appropriate safeguards are in place, and demonstrably
effective;
f. it is consistent;
g. it is predictable;
h. it is stable;
i. it has SMART (Smart, Measurable, Actionable, Relevant, and Timely) objectives,
measurable goals, and KPI’s (Key Performance Indicators);
j. it is optimized;
k. it causes and/or encourages sustainable economic activity in
the chicken industry;
l. it supports and allows feasible pursuit of opportunities in
both domestic and
international markets;
m. it enhances competitiveness and efficiency in the chicken
industry;
n. it works in the balanced interest of producers, industry
stakeholders and consumers.
Please provide us with sufficient objective, independent
evidence so that we can readily
conclude that CFC’s by‐laws, policies,
procedures, regulations, positions, interpretations,
orders, rulings, staff training, and actions (by CFC personnel and
its authorized agents)
are designed, managed, operated, and maintained in a manner so
that:
a. CFC fully co‐operates with all
other chicken supply management boards,
commissions, stakeholders, and governments;
b. CFC adequately informs and has productive 2‐way dialogue with all provincial
Supervisory Boards;
c. CFC adequately informs and has productive 2‐way dialogue with all provincial
Commodity Boards;
d. CFC reviews, analyzes, critiques, performs risk management
analysis on all of its
policies, procedures, orders, rules, and methods on an annual
basis;
e. CFC records, monitors, audits, and enforces its:
i. quota allocations;
ii. procedures, and
iii. the 2001 Federal‐Provincial Agreement
on Chicken.
Under Section 4.03(c) of FPA2001, CFC (or others) can act when
there are unacceptable
producer prices or otherwise. Please advise when CFC or others
have contemplated
action, threatened action, or took action under this Section,
dates thereof, parties
involved, and other descriptive circumstances.
Under Section 4.08 of FPA2001, CFC (or others) can request
relief under exceptional
circumstances. Please advise when CFC or others have requested
action, contemplated
action, threatened action, or took action under this Section,
dates thereof, parties
involved, and other descriptive circumstances.
CFC is supposed to have policies, procedures and criteria for
assessing, deciding,
and acting under this Section. Please provide a copy of these
documents.
Under Section 4.12 of FPA2001, inter‐period transfers are permitted. Please advise
when CFC or other Ontario‐based organizations
or individuals have requested,
contemplated, threatened, were granted permission, or took action
under this Section,
dates thereof, parties involved, and other descriptive
circumstances.
Please provide CFC’s policies, procedures, decisions, and
rulings under Section 7.01
Market Development.
Under Section 8.01 of FPA2001, CFC is required to record,
monitor, audit, and enforce
its actions, rulings, and prohibitions. Please provide us with
sufficient objective,
independent evidence so that we can readily conclude that CFC has
been adequately
and effectively fulfilling its duties under this Section.
Under Section 9.02 (d) of FPA2001, CFC receives a listing of
all quota holders, and their
assigned quotas. This document is therefore under the care and
control of CFC. Under
the Access to Information Act (or otherwise), we request a copy of
said listing for
Ontario.
Under Section 10.01 of FPA2001, CFC is required to conduct an
annual review. Please
provide us with a copy of the last three (3) reviews.
CFC has assigned duties under Farm Products Agencies Act.
Please provide us with
sufficient objective, independent evidence so that we can readily
conclude that CFC has
been adequately and effectively fulfilling its duties under the
Act, especially under
Section 23(2) therein.
Black ought to work for the Globe and Mail which used to have the motto: Comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable!
