Alberta Beef Producers set to split from Canadian Cattle Association over governance concerns

CBC

2 days ago

The Alberta Beef Producers (ABP) intends to withdraw from the Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) in light of concerns around the national organization's governance structure.
The withdrawal, set to take effect by July 1 of next year, could take a significant bite out of the CCA's funding, with ABP saying it's responsible for more than 50 per cent of the national organization's funding.
The Alberta association's beef with the CCA is not new, said ABP chair Doug Roxburgh.
"ABP has significant concerns regarding the governance and fiscal transparency at the CCA, and recommended the CCA form a dedicated governance committee," he said.
The ABP had suggested bringing in an independent third party to review the CCA's governance structure, Roxburgh said.
"Despite our efforts in asking for change, we have not seen meaningful progression or a willingness to address these concerns."
Looking at changes
CCA president Tyler Fulton acknowledged that the ABP leaving the national organization would take a heavy toll.
"Bluntly, it would be a reduction of 50 per cent of the financial resources available to CCA right off the bat," he said.
Fulton said he was "very surprised and disappointed" by the ABP's recent announcement, adding the national organization had been prepared to look into what changes could be made in the near future.
He also said he'd like to work things out with the ABP before the scheduled withdrawal.
ABP's Roxburgh said the CCA needs to "ensure fairness and consistency" when it comes to funding from its provincial association.
The CCA is currently made up of nine provincial associations, with the 27-member board consisting of representatives from each province. Newfoundland and Labrador is the only province that is not a member.
Despite the bulk of the funding coming from the ABP, it has only seven representatives on the organization's board — less than 30 per cent.
"We owe it to Alberta cattle producers to ensure their dollars are invested in organizations that … align with their values and priorities," Roxburgh said.
Fulton acknowledged the CCA would have to make changes.
"I felt like we were working through this," he said, noting it's a complicated process.
"Any change in any one province would have an effect on all of the other provinces," he said. "What kind of makes it difficult is that it's not CCA's decision to agree to a new organizational structure or change in representation. It has to be agreed upon."
ABP and CCA could come to an agreement
Fulton remains confident the two organizations will be able to hash things out ahead of next year's scheduled withdrawal.
"I am optimistic that we're going to be able to work through this," he said. "It's going to be difficult, it's complicated, but at the end of the day, I believe that ABP and CCA will come back together as a stronger, more unified voice."
Roxburgh also said "there is potential" for the ABP to remain in the CCA.
"I think it's really important to understand that a big reason why this occurred, when it did occur, is we have a lot of runway ahead of us," he said.
"We have somewhere between eight to 10 months to try to put something together that could maybe help progress things forward," he said. "Now we're not saying that it's going to happen within that time period, but there is potential."
Roxburgh reiterated that leaving the CCA won't hurt Alberta's 18,000 beef producers, or affect critical advocacy programs that the province's beef producers benefit from, but stressed the need to ensure that funds "coming into our organization are being utilized in the most efficient manners possible" when it comes to national representation.
"I think it's really important for producers to feel very confident that we have a very well-thought-out plan that will help gain our representation at a national level, if we get to that period of time," he said. "But right now we're really focused on talks and discussion with the CCA to see where we can get to."
The current agreement between the ABP and CCA expires on June 30, 2026. Until then, the Alberta association says it will continue fulfilling its financial obligations to the national organization.