The top official at CropLife Canada has resigned because of unspecified health issues.
Ted Menzies, a former Conservative MP and cabinet member, has served as president and chief executive officer of CropLife since January 2014.
The organization announced Jan. 5 that Menzies will resign immediately due to a “serious health problem” identified in December.
CropLife, a lobby group that represents Canada’s plant science industry, has already begun the search for a new president.
Pierre Petelle, CropLife’s vice-president of chemistry, has been appointed acting president until a new leader is identified.
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“Ted contributed a great deal to our organization and we will miss his insight and dedication to Canadian agriculture,” chair Jay Bradshaw said in a news release.
“CropLife Canada has a strong team of professionals who will continue, under Pierre’s interim leadership, to work with partners throughout the food value chain to enhance our industry’s ability to deliver the benefits of plant science technologies to farmers and, through farmers, to all Canadians.”
Menzies, a former grain farmer, was elected as MP for the riding of MacLeod in 2004.
He served as minister of state for finance from 2011-13 but left federal politics in November 2013 to take the top job with CropLife Canada.
CropLife has hired Kincannon & Reed to help look for his replacement.
Petelle has been with CropLife since 2008.
He also worked at the Pest Management Regulatory Agency and has several years of experience dealing with legislation and regulations that govern the plant science industry.
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