Guest speakers share stories, wisdom at GFO March Classic

By Luke Edwards

The word uncertainty was thrown around a lot at the Grain Farmers of Ontario March Classic last month, and for good reason given the state of the world.

It’s a word that might evoke fear and concern, but guest speakers suggested uncertainty can be a feature as much as it can be a bug.

It was a, perhaps, appropriate theme for this year’s event, considering some uncertainty around the classic itself as it moved to a new location at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre. However, the new home proved successful with a strong turnout and full crowd to listen to guest speakers Arlene Dickinson, Catherine Murray, Eric Termuende and George Stroumboulopoulos.

The speakers themselves often lauded the farmers in the room, acknowledging the hard work, challenges and sacrifices they make to put food on the tables of people here and around the world.

“To me, you are the foundation of our nation,” Dickinson told the farmers in attendance.

“The world needs farmers, and the world needs Canadian farmers.”

‘Things are going to be hard’ but opportunity is there: Dickinson

Calling farmers some of the best BS detectors out there, Dickinson - who created a successful marketing company before becoming a prominent investor and star of the TV show Dragon’s Den - didn’t sugarcoat things for those in attendance. Global unrest and an increasingly antagonistic neighbour to the south means we’re in for some turbulence.

“Things are going to be hard,” she said. “We live north of unrest.”

However, within that difficulty are seeds of opportunity, especially in a country like Canada. It’s something she learned when her family arrived here from South Africa with $50 to their name and nothing else. While Canada can always improve, she said the country and the people who call it home create an atmosphere where success is possible.

And she said other countries value Canadian goods and expertise. A recent trip to several Asian countries proved that to her.

“I found countries that wanted what we have to sell,” she said, adding it will be increasingly vital as Canadian exporters - farmers included - try to wean themselves off American trade.

That all may be uncomfortable, but Dickinson said opportunity often lies in the uncomfortable. Her own role on Dragon’s Den almost never came to be because she was, for a time, unwilling to step outside her comfort zone.

In fact, the only reason she agreed to do the audition was because she’d always encouraged her own children to try new things, and realized she had to walk the walk.

Still, throughout the process her fears of putting herself in the public eye and being judged kept a hold on her. When, during auditions she got in an argument with co-star Kevin O’Leary over what she said was unfair treatment of a guest, Dickinson figured she’d got her wish. The producers would thank her for her time, send her home and Dickinson could return to her former life while telling her children she tried.

Except, the producers liked what she offered the show and wanted more. Dickinson said she tried to turn it down, but eventually realized she couldn’t. And the rest, as they say, is history.

“It was because I walked through a door I wasn’t comfortable with,” she said.

Find the right time to push against the consensus view: Murray

Most of the time, the consensus view is a consensus for a good reason, says Catherine Murray, business analyst and former anchor of BNN’s The Close. The key is to figure out when the consensus is wrong, or when it’s about to become wrong.

“When it changes, it’s fast and furious,” she said. Pushing back on the consensus at the right times can turn “pain into prosperity.”

Murray said she’ll be keeping her eyes on global markets as a weathervane of how things are going. The renegotiation of the Canada-United States-Mexico Agreement, government policy and the ongoing rollout of AI and technology will all be key aspects that determine where things go from here.

“With this upcoming trade deal, I hope we have some great negotiators,” she said.

Even as Canada pivots away from the U.S., opening up some canola access to China and other smaller deals with Asian countries for example, Murray said Canada is too intertwined with our neighbours to the south to completely abandon Canada-U.S. trade.

“They are still our biggest trading partners,” she said.

In this new technological world, and as Canada looks to find more trade partners, Murray said traceability will have a renewed focus. She also suggested the two can work hand in hand, as blockchain offers a potential way to use technology to combat the misinformation and disinformation that can flourish in the digital age.

“Blockchain is the building block of what is real and what is not,” she said.

No point in trying to predict the future: Termuende

As the March Classic was taking place there were no shortage of uncertainties in the world. The Strait of Hormuz remained closed and no one knew how long the America/Israeli war against Iran would last. The future of AI still hasn’t been written. However, rapid, and accelerating, advancements in technology means the world is changing at an ever greater clip.

That may lead people to think it’s becoming more important to understand where the world is heading so businesses can adjust.

Termuende thinks that’s a fool’s errand.

“If you think the world is moving fast, wait until later tonight. It will be moving faster,” he said.

So if the world’s moving faster and faster, and there’s no point in trying to predict where things are going, what do we do?

“Build a team so good that it doesn’t matter what the future looks like,” he said.

A strong team can react and adjust to changes when they happen, leading to success in every version of the future the universe can offer.

Termuende promoted the idea of one degree shifts to build that team. Small changes to address issues eventually add up in a big way, he said.

“What one degree shifts can we take right now to get us a little closer to our goal?” he said.

Yesterday’s best practices may not hold up today, he added, so constantly looking at where a business can start something new, stop something that no longer holds value, or continue doing what works is key.

Strombo: We’re not so different, you and I

The presentations wrapped up with a discussion with one of Canada’s biggest cultural voices.

Some know George Stroumboulopoulos from his days as a VJ on MuchMusic. Others from his talk show, or his stint as Hockey Night in Canada host.

What fewer people may know is his longstanding connection with the food system. He’s worked with the United Nations World Food Programme, becoming the first Canadian National Ambassador Against Hunger. He’s also part of a project in South Africa that’s growing hemp to be used in a variety of ways, including hemp milk.

This variety has given him a unique perspective on how the world views Canada and how Canadians view themselves.

“There’s an expectation for Canadians to lead,” he said.

And while that never really stopped in the private sector - Stroumboulopoulos said Canadian agricultural technology and expertise is found across the globe - he sees an opportunity for the country to re-establish itself on the political stage.

Closer to home, Stroumboulopoulos said feelings of a country divided are overblown.

“We’re not nearly as divided as we think we are,” he said. Canadians may not have completely common ground, but by and large they have common goals, he added.

The key is to listen, and to do so with intent. Instead of trying to “win” a conversation, he encouraged people to actively listen and consider the viewpoints of others.

“Most people are fundamentally decent, and that’s underrated,” he said.