The University of Guelph periodically calls together Canada’s horse community, to develop a consensus on the community’s shared national priorities. The university’s most recent Equine Industry Symposium (EIS) has now created the Guelph Equine Public Policy Group, to advance those priorities with Canada’s governments and public institutions.
“The members of the Guelph Equine Public Policy Group include national athletes, industry leaders, horse welfare advocates, heads of international institutions, and highly respected figures from the worlds of Federal, Provincial, and Indigenous government,” said Abby Hodder of the EIS Organising Committee. “They are ideally placed to lead this new, independent initiative.”
“The Guelph Equine Public Policy Group will ensure that Canada’s governments understand how they can – and why they must – serve the equine community public interest,” said Akaash Maharaj, the Group’s Chair and a former CEO of the Canadian Equestrian Federation.
Group members are all volunteers, and were selected for their expertise in equestrianism, equine industries, horse welfare, and public affairs. Group members include Julia Alebrand, Vel Evans, Kerri McGregor, Roly Owners, Beth Underhill, and several more. The full list of members and their biographies are available at the Group’s web page.
The Group’s mandate is to develop and to champion public policies that will support the ability of the Canadian horse sector to be: humane, accessible, and professional; economically, environmentally, and inter-generationally sustainable; and integrated into coherent policy frameworks for education, employment, and culture. The Group is also responsible for meeting and working with ministers, legislators, and public authorities, to press for implementation of those policies.
“The hard reality is that Canadian horses and horse people suffer when our voice goes unheard in the corridors of power,” said Akaash Maharaj, the Group’s Chair. “The Guelph Equine Public Policy Group will ensure that Canada’s governments understand how they can – and why they must – serve the equine community public interest.”
The Group conducts its work transparently, invites public participation, and welcomes public scrutiny. It publishes open accounts of its activities, its decisions, and its meetings with public policy makers. It is independent of the University of Guelph and of the EIS. It receives no public or university funding.
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