Page 1 Page 2 Page 3 Page 4 Page 5 Page 6 Page 7 Page 8 Page 9 Page 10 Page 11 Page 12 Page 13 Page 14 Page 15 Page 16 Page 17 Page 18 Page 19 Page 20 Page 21 Page 22 Page 23 Page 24 Page 25 Page 26 Page 27 Page 28 Page 29 Page 30 Page 31 Page 32 Page 33 Page 34 Page 35 Page 36 Page 37 Page 38 Page 39 Page 40 Page 41 Page 42 Page 43 Page 44 Page 45 Page 46 Page 47 Page 48 Page 49 Page 50 Page 51 Page 52 Page 53 Page 54 Page 55 Page 56 Page 57 Page 58 Page 59 Page 60 Page 61 Page 62 Page 63 Page 64 Page 65 Page 66 Page 67 Page 68AFTERhelping to lead what some called an uphill battle in bringing Canada’s plant breeders’ rights laws up to date in 2015 with the Agricultural Growth Act, more commonly known as Bill C-18, Canada’s Anthony Parker has been tapped again to lead the way — only this time at an international level. In early December, Parker who has served as Canada’s commissioner of Plant Breeders’ Rights since 2012 was elected to the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), which provides and promotes an effective system of plant variety protection, with the aim of encouraging the development of new varieties of plants, for the benefit of society. “We are excited to have Mr. Anthony Parker representing the Canadian Food Inspection Agency in his new role as chair of the Administrative and Legal Committee of UPOV and would like to congratulate him on his election to the position,” says Paul Glover, CFIA president. Based in Switzerland, UPOV comprises 74 members covering 93 states on six continents. During its founding in 1961, UPOV established the original International Convention for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. Since then, it’s been revised three times, in 1972, 1978 and 1991. The latter of which Canada just became party to. “Mr. Parker played an instrumental role in advancing legislative amend- ments to Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Rights Act, which has greatly ben- efited our agriculture, horticulture and ornamental sectors,” says Erin Armstrong of CANTERRA SEEDS and chair of Canada’s Plant Breeders’ Right Advisory Committee. “The UPOV community will be well served by his deep knowledge, leadership, inclusiveness and commitment.” Parker has long served the public, working on behalf of agriculture and those in crop improvement. After graduating with a master’s in plant breeding and genetics, he started working for Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada as a maize breeder. After seven years, he transferred to CFIA and served in a number of positions, including national manager of the Fertilizer Program, acting director of the Crop Inputs Division and acting director of the Horticulture Division. Julie Deering Experience and accomplishments gave way to the election of Canada's Anthony Parker to the Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants. Forward Thinking Plant Protection 4 “The UPOV community will be well served by his deep knowledge, leadership, inclusiveness and commitment.” — Erin Armstrong Anthony Parker UPOV chair of the Administrative and Legal Committee.