The newest Canadian Grain Commission commissioner says he relishes the chance to be part of a government organization that is heading for major changes in the midst of a grain industry in transition.
Cam Dahl, 38, a former Reform Party Parliament Hill political aide, Ottawa farm organization lobbyist and senior government affairs and policy official with Agricore United, was appointed Aug. 8 to a three year term as a commissioner.
His term starts Aug. 15.
Dahl fills a commission vacancy, joining chief commissioner Chris Hamblin and assistant chief commissioner Terry Harasym, a former Saskatchewan Wheat Pool executive.
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Dahl heard of his appointment by agriculture minister Chuck Strahl Aug. 3, his last day of work at Agricore. He lost his Winnipeg-based job after Sask Pool bought AU and eliminated some duplicated positions.
In the aftermath of a consultant’s report and unanimous recommendations from the House of Commons agriculture committee, Strahl is expected to introduce major changes to the Canada Grain Act in the fall that will revamp the CGC, a Winnipeg-based agency with 700 employees and a mandate to regulate aspects of the grain industry.
Changes could range from a shakeup of the governance structure to amended rules for identifying new varieties and a strengthening of farmer protections under the act.
“It’s one of the reasons I’m excited about taking this job, being in the middle of changes that are coming,” Dahl said.
It also is a time of escalating grain industry concentration and he said that gives the CGC an “ongoing role” to make sure farmers are not victimized by the shrinking industry options.
“It is the role of the commission to watch the industry to make sure that concentration does not mean a lack of competition and options,” he said.
“To be honest, I don’t think it does. I think it will continue to be a competitive industry.”
The CGC is responsible for grain grading, quality assurance, licensing and administration of the producer car program.
“With the industry in transition, there obviously is a need for a strong grain commission overseer role,” said Dahl. “I look forward to being part of that and whatever changes are made.”
He was raised on a cattle and grain farm at Swan River, Man.
As a master’s student at the University of Manitoba a decade ago, Dahl spent time researching agricultural development in a remote area of the Brazilian rainforest in a program organized by the Washington-based International Food Policy Research Institute.
In Winnipeg, he worked in the government grain car allocation administration before moving to Ottawa in 1998 as an aide to Manitoba Reform Party MP Howard Hilstrom.
From Parliament Hill, he moved two blocks south to become executive director of Grain Growers of Canada.
Several years ago, Dahl moved back to Winnipeg to become a senior Agricore United official in charge of policy and government relations. He often represented the company in the agricultural export lobby group Canadian Agri-Food Trade Alliance and in the prairie grain elevator lobby group.
