GW
:
Looking back over your time as ex-
ecutive director, what are some career
highlights or memorable issues?
BR:
The gaining of marketing freedom
was something that we had been working
towards for almost our entire 46-year
history, so that will always stand out as
a major achievement. We’ve always been
strong proponents of trade deals, so dur-
ing my tenure the Trans-Pacific Partner-
ship and the European Union trade deal
stand out as highlights, but we were also
involved earlier in the Canada-U.S. Free
Trade Agreement and the North American
Free Trade Agreement. Some of the other
issues that have been important are the
elimination of kernel visual distinguish-
ability registration criteria, which allows
greater flexibility for plant breeders. We’re
now starting to see the benefits of that.
We’ve always been strong advocates for
plant breeders’ rights as well, because that
encourages greater investment in the seed
industry. Back when plant breeders’ rights
were originally adopted in the early 1990s
and then modernized again in 2015, we
were one of the leading groups in support
of that. We strongly support intellectual
property protection as a means to encour-
age investment and innovation.
In terms of transportation, our organ-
ization was the first farm group to seek
expanded inter-switching, going from 30
kilometres to 160 kilometres. That was
our idea. In the end, it’s proving to be
beneficial. Grain companies are now using
that provision to gain access to competing
railways. It’s had some effect in helping
get better service for the grain shippers. In
recent months we’ve also been pushing to
allow dealer cars to be loaded at producer
car loading sites, and if that happens it
should help bring about more competition
in the grain handling and transportation
system.
We’re all still waiting for the release of
the Canada Transportation Act Review
(David Emerson’s) report, which should
be made public in the next few weeks. We
hope some of our recommendations are
part of that report—for example, making
sure that shippers can enter into binding
contracts with railways that include re-
ciprocal penalties and other performance
provisions. Our goal would be to see
those sorts of measures included in new
legislation.
GW:
What are your plans for the future?
Have you officially retired?
BR:
I have stepped down as executive
director. I’m not retired, but I’m scaling
back. I’m not sure where I will land, but
I want to keep a hand in the policy arena
in some way. I’ve had a good run with
the Wheat Growers and I’m very proud of
what we have been able to achieve—we’ve
had some policy success, we’ve increased
our membership and we’re financially in
better shape. With Robin Speer taking
over as executive director, I know the
organization is in good hands.
GW:
So tell us more about Robin. Are
you helping with the transition?
BR:
Robin has lots of experience in
government relations and policy. He
brings a lot of new skills to the table and
is an excellent fit for the Wheat Growers.
It’s a one-person shop. You want to have
this sort of transition so somebody is
not thrown in cold. I also wanted to stay
on until the annual general meeting in
March, because the last fiscal year is my
responsibility. It also gave me an oppor-
tunity to face the members one last time
and make sure Robin’s transition goes
smoothly.
It’s been a wonderful journey, and I
leave feeling confident that the Wheat
Growers will continue to be a strong
advocate for forward-thinking farmers for
many years to come.
Spring
2016
Grains
West
18
CALM, COOL, COLLECTED:
After a 20-plus year career in agriculture, Blair Rutter is
ready to pursue a new set of challenges and goals.
