CSGA’s new executive director understands agricultural policy inside out while taking an outside-in approach to government.
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When it comes to the desired qualities for the Canadian Seed Growers’ Association executive director, Glyn Chancey has the right stuff. From an early age, Chancey ate, slept and breathed farming._x000D_
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“There was an Ag-Canada research station in Newfoundland, and my father was the director,” Chancey says. “Given the culture, whenever there was a visitor from Ottawa they would always end up at home at the kitchen table. Our house was steeped in agricultural policy discussions and research from the time I could speak.”_x000D_
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However, it wasn’t until he picked up an economics book while studying biology at Mount Allison University that Chancey discovered his true vocation._x000D_
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“The next thing you know, I’m in an economics course,” he says. “My whole world vision shifted, and I discovered this new calling in economics, while at the same time coming to terms with the fact that I was interested in what my father was interested in.”_x000D_
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After earning his bachelor’s degree from the University of Guelph, Chancey accepted a position as vice-president and manager for Les Entreprises Payagistes du Quebec._x000D_
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Five years later, he returned to academia to pursue a master’s degree in industrial organization and international economics at McGill University. While researching his thesis, Chancey was offered a job with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) — the beginning of a 30-year career in federal public service._x000D_
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During that time, Chancey held executive positions with a number of government departments and agencies, including the Market and Industry Services branch of AAFC, the Plant Health and Biosecurity Directorate of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), the Red Tape Reduction Commission Secretariat at the Treasury Board Secretariat and the Canada-United States Regulatory Cooperation Council Secretariat at the Privy Council Office._x000D_
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A Strong Start_x000D_
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Early in his career, Chancey provided technical support and outreach on many trade negotiations and agreements as well as implementation, including the Canada-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, North American Free Trade Agreement and the World Trade Organization Agreement._x000D_
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Work in that space and with his CFIA colleagues provided Chancey with an understanding of the technical barriers to trade and the trade policy environment._x000D_
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However, it was his role as CFIA’s director of the Plant Production Division that fostered his strong relationship with Canada’s seed industry. To that role, Chancey brought a slightly different philosophy, which fit CFIA’s desire to make the seed program more industry driven than others._x000D_
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“Coming from an economics, business and science background, I was of the view that markets are theoretically supposed to be self-regulating, and that regulation is really something you reserve for market failure, or for preventing market failure,” Chancey says._x000D_
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When he arrived on the seed sector scene in 2002, the variety registration review had been in progress for about six years, and had become a contentious issue. Chancey was immediately asked for his perspective. To this task, he applied an outside-in approach to government by knocking on doors of industry and other organizations from coast to coast to understand the different viewpoints._x000D_
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“I concluded we were on the wrong track, and we needed to reset the framework,” he says. As a group, seed sector stakeholders agreed an industry-led review was timely, and would help break the acrimonious dynamic that had been generated out of a focus that was uniquely on variety registration, says Chancey._x000D_
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“People felt this way of doing things, with dialogue, analysis and iterative discussion to identify priorities was a good way to work, and ultimately gave rise to the industry led Seed Sector Review and subsequently the National Forum on Seed,” he says._x000D_
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Outside-In_x000D_
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Chancey has applied this outside-in approach to government throughout his career, including the task of reviewing the regulatory system as executive director of the Red Tape Reduction Commission Secretariat from 2010 to 2012._x000D_
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To Chancey, it’s experiences such as this, which make the opportunity with CSGA a good fit. “It seemed like a natural transition. I was coming up on 30 years of public service, and I’ve still got another decade or so in me, and I wanted something that would be challenging and keep me in a form of public service,” he says._x000D_
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While there are many similarities between his previous roles and responsibilities and this new position, Chancey is excited by the unique challenges it will present. “I’m ultimately responsible for the functioning of a fairly complex organization,” he says. “It’s not a straight-up industry association, it’s got a regulatory responsibility and it has a business bottom line in terms of efficient and effective delivery of the seed certification system.”_x000D_
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However, he’ll bring the same philosophy and processes to facilitate bridge-building and thoughtful consensus-building among parties that have been successful in other roles._x000D_
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“I’m biased toward engagement and building partnerships, and focused on collective efforts to achieve shared outcomes, that’s just who I am,” he says. “We happen to be at a point in time when there’s going to be a demand for those types of skills and that type of leadership.”_x000D_
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Chancey understands the regulatory system, the government and how government makes its decisions and the direction it’s heading. “It’s not static. There are some fairly major directions that have been set in terms of regulation,” he says. “With those macro trends in the background, having someone who understands them and can include those considerations and advice as well as knowledge of the seed regulatory system at a time when it’s going to be debated and discussed is fairly critical._x000D_
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“When those kinds of discussions begin, it’s inevitable that there is, at minimum, some recommendations for change. All organizations and all levels of the seed industry could ultimately be impacted by those decisions.”_x000D_
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For the present, as the CSGA board sets policy, Chancey will be responsible for implementing it, as well as ensuring board members are properly informed about the issues. Projecting a year into the future, he’d like to list among his accomplishments that the board was happy with the process they’d experienced and that they were well informed and comfortable with the risks, challenges, opportunities and threats they faced._x000D_
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“And that we feel we know where we stand, where we need to compromise, where we need to change and where we need to hold fast,” he says._x000D_
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Tasked with ambitious agendas that have far-reaching implications, Chancey could work 24/7. However, his wife of 30 years and 15-year-old son ground him in the present. “If you look at my calendar on any week night during hockey season, at least three or four blocks are protected for my son’s game or practise.” He says his son is a bit like himself, having grown up surrounded by farmers and working with friends in the farming community._x000D_
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It’s no surprise, then, that Chancey says at a fundamental level he’s excited to be returning to agriculture and to be taking on the tasks and challenges to come. From kitchen table discussions to his new CSGA role, Chancey says “it’s like coming full circle.”
