Two national canola organizations have forged closer ties with one another.
The Canola Council of Canada said it is “extending a full range of services” to the Canadian Oilseed Processors Association (COPA).
Council vice-president Jim Everson is taking on additional duties as executive director of COPA and COPA president Bob Broeska is retiring.
“The goal here is just to align our activities better and to just maximize the value of both associations,” said Everson.
The two associations will continue to operate as stand-alone organizations with separate boards.
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COPA represents the country’s crushers while the council is a value chain organization working on behalf of crushers, exporters, producers, seed development companies and crop input companies.
Everson said the two groups have overlapping objectives when it comes to lobbying the federal government on regulatory, market access and trade policy issues.
“It works to the benefit of producers if we can, in Ottawa, speak with a co-ordinated, single, strong voice,” he said.
Some council board members also sit on COPA’s board.
“The two associations see things very much the same way,” said Everson.
However, there are also important differences. COPA is more focused on the oil and meal side of the business.
Everson said COPA will be able to use some of the council’s vast resources, including its expertise in communication and trade policy.
There are no plans to reduce staff at either organization.
“What we really want to do is align activities as well as we can,” he said.
