She was acclaimed during CFA’s annual general meeting
The Canadian Federation of Agriculture (CFA) has some new leadership at the board level.
Delegates at the CFA’s annual general meeting in Ottawa elected two new vice-presidents by acclamation.
Jill Verwey, a cash crop, beef and dairy producer from near Portage la Prairie, Man., and the current president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, is the CFA’s new first vice-president.
Members of the ag industry support Verwey’s new role within the CFA.
“An exceptional choice by the CFA Board to join the senior leadership team,” Jen Wright, the executive director of the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, said on X.
“Manitoba is well represented,” Stephanie Cruickshanks, a Manitoba Agricultural and Resource Development rep, said online.
The CFA’s other new vice-president hails from Quebec.
Jill Verwey, left, and Stephanie Levasseur.
Stephanie Levasseur is an apple grower and a vice-president of the Union des Producteurs Agricole.
Levasseur and Verwey are replacing Todd Lewis and Pierre Lampron, respectively.
Lewis recently received a Senate appointment, and Lampron decided not to seek re-election.
Ontario producer Keith Currie remains the CFA’s president.
The organization is prepared to work with whichever party wins the next federal election.
In August 2024 the CFA published a pre-budget submission in advance of the upcoming federal budget.
The document includes multiple recommendations for the next government, including:
- A commitment to modernizing the Canada Grain Act
- Extending interswitching distance to 500km
- Immediately convening an ag disaster relief summit with stakeholders and governments to look at better supports for farmers
- Investing in the expansion and enhancement of colleges of veterinary medicine to address a shortage of large animal vets.