National Farmers Union Convention Continues with Panel Discussion: Organizing for Change

OTTAWA, ON—Day two of the NFU National Convention featured a panel presentation on Organizing for Change.  The three panelists included:  

• Stewart Wells, Saskatchewan farmer and NFU Vice-President of Operations;
• Amanda Wilson, researcher, community organizer and Associate Professor at Saint Paul University; and
• Karen Ross, Executive Director of Farmers for Climate Solutions.

Stewart Wells was the first presenter, and he focused on how the NFU has organized to be effective in the agricultural policy realm. He noted the importance of “being present” and “changing the conversation.”  

Wells gave NFU delegates and other Convention-goers a brief history of the many successes of the Canadian farm movement and of the NFU. That history included the creation of grain marketing cooperatives such as the Prairie Wheat Pools.  He noted that over the life of those elevator co-operatives, they put an additional half-billion dollars into farmers’ hands. He continued, pointing to the creation and multi-decade defence of the Canadian Wheat Board; Supply Management systems for eggs, poultry, and dairy; the key role the NFU played in stopping the introduction of the genetically modified (GM) dairy hormone rBGH; and the NFU’s lead role in successfully stopping the introduction of GM wheat. He concluded the brief history by focusing on the multi-decade struggle to counter corporate-friendly trade agreements, including the WTO. 

Wells said that the NFU is a trailblazer organization, and that, time and time again, in Canadian agricultural policy, we’ve “changed the conversation” and succeeded in changing policies, to the benefit of farmers.

Amanda Wilson picked up on similar themes, underscoring the need to “think big” and to “expand the scope of what we think is possible.”  

Wilson, like Wells, reminded Convention attendees of the need to look back over history, to remind ourselves of our victories. She said that “our dominant social institutions work in such a way as to encourage us to forget the impressive social movements and collective actions that came before us.” As examples, she pointed to the Winnipeg General Strike; farmers organizing in the Great Depression against foreclosures; struggles by HIV/AIDS activists for publicly funded drugs, not just for HIV/AIDS, but for all sorts of health issues; and myriad environmental struggles. She told attendees: “There are all of these really impressive movements that have come before us, but we forget that they have happened and we’re encouraged to forget, and so, often, in the present moment, we think that something isn’t possible because we don’t remember that it has happened before.”  

Wilson advised NFU delegates and other attendees on how to be successful. “Disrupt the status quo in ways that force people to take notice.” “Tactics should also be energizing and motivating for the people participating in them.” “Be willing to be wrong. If we want to create change we have to be open to learn; we have to be open to change. In social change, we are asking people to change their minds. So it’s only fair that we ourselves also be willing to do that.” She urged “humility.”

Most important, said Wilson, is to “make friends—lots and lots of them.” She reminded the audience that “actually changing the world has usually involved thousands and hundreds of thousands of people coming together in collective struggle, not just a small group.” Successful change requires building large diverse movements and building trust among people.  

Karen Ross rounded out the panel discussion by explaining how Farmers for Climate Solutions (FCS) is building an expanding coalition of farm organizations, working with experts, listening to farmers, developing field programing, and engaging with policymakers to succeed in advancing emission-reduction solutions. She underscored FCS’s effectiveness, including making significant contributions to the creation of the On-Farm Climate Action Fund (OFCAF) and the federal-provincial Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership (SCAP).

Ross told attendees that a key contributor to FCS’s success is that their work is “focused,” “solution-oriented,” and “backed by data.”  

All three speakers shared insights and experiences on how to turn goals and visions into strategies and tactics and how to use those to advance policy solutions that benefit farmers and all Canadians.

Here is a link to the official agenda: https://www.nfu.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/HANDBOOK-PAGE-8-and-9-AGENDA-CORRECTED-FOR-WEBSITE.pdf 

The NFU Convention continues at the Holiday Inn Ottawa East (1199 Joseph Cyr), until 5:00 PM on Saturday, November 25th.

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