National Capital Region's Top Employers (2026) Magazine - Magazine - Page 18
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NATIONAL CAPITAL REGION’S TOP EMPLOYERS (2026)
Change is a constant at Dairy Farmers of Canada
T
he context shaping
Canada’s dairy sector
is more dynamic than
ever; agricultural
innovation, animal
care and federal public affairs
are just some of the files where
the Dairy Farmers of Canada
(DFC) team focused their efforts
in 2025.
The association, which serves
as the national voice of Canada’s
dairy farmers, recently refreshed
its mission, vision and values to
ensure it continues to lead with
confidence in times of change,
notes interim CEO Lucie Bérubé.
We need people who
are collaborative,
responsive to change,
and agile.
— Lucie Bérubé
CEO
“It’s a good practice for any
organization to regularly review
its mission, vision and values,”
Bérubé says. “In 2024, the board
initiated this review to make sure
that our national organization’s
core purpose remains relevant
to our current context while
continuing to reflect the needs of
all dairy farmers.”
Hugo Fonseca, a network
engineer at DFC, says that the
new vision, mission and values
were quickly communicated to
staff by leadership, which he sees
as a valuable hallmark of the
organization.
“It became a very high priority.
Dairy Farmers of Canada values employee contributions.
There was a town hall meeting
where they presented our new
mission, values and objectives,” he
says. “There was also information
on our intranet, and it is a regular
theme. Even when there’s a review
or a revamp, as has happened
in the last few months, these
are always communicated to
employees to give us a feeling for
where we’re heading.”
“As an organization, we need to
be very nimble,” says Bérubé. “We
sometimes say that change is our
middle name because change in
our sector is constant, whether it
be at the political, economic or
environmental level. While we
need to stay focused on our longterm mandates and goals, we also
need to be able to adjust quickly
in the short term. We have to
anticipate what’s coming, we need
to respond fast to market shifts
and keep a close connection to our
members.”
Fonseca says he was impressed
by the speed and efficiency
of the organization from the
moment he was recruited, a recent
immigrant who was headhunted
by the DFC and hired just a
month after he came to Canada
in 2022. He was introduced to
the history and mission of the
member-driven organization, as
well as his financial compensation
and benefits, in a few well-run
sessions.
“It was a very thorough job and
to be honest I’ve never seen an
onboarding like this,” he says.
“You learn a lot in just one week.
It’s very comprehensive.”
Fonseca was impressed by the
many skill sets employed by his
fellow team members. “We have
a policy department that’s busy,
