Recent Events & Announcements

I am happy to provide an overview of the Events, Happenings and News items that may be of interest to our membership in Zone 1.  This area will be updated as necessary.  Should you wish to have items added to this page, please contact me. 

For information on conformation and obedience events in the Atlantic provinces, please visit the Maritime Dog Biz web site.
 

FCI Update (March 9, 2007)

For those not yet signed in with CKC to receive automated notices, I am
pleased to advise that we have received notification, from the General
Committee of the FCI, regarding the Sanctions outlined in their Circular 125
against Canada.  The 'ban 'has been partially lifted with removal of any
Sanction on Canadian breeders and exhibitors  in the area of registration,
shows and pedigree recognition, retroactive to January 1, 2007, the date the
Sanction was effected.

The Sanction against Canadian judges officiating at FCI shows remains in
effect for the present time.  Dialogue will continue with the FCI as we work
to resolve this situation.  The letter received this morning from the FCI
was translated and published in both official languages on the CKC website
by Noon Ontario time today.  Lee Steeves

FCI Update (December 10, 2006)

As many of you are aware, my colleagues at the Board table had asked that I accompany the Chair and CEO to the Eukanuba Invitational in the US. We had meetings to discuss with both our colleagues in other non-FCI Kennel Clubs and with the FCI Executive the recent sanction imposed on Canada. I recognize how difficult it is for those of you who would like to provide input to this week-end's meeting in Toronto to not have responses to many questions that you have. As I result, the following is a summary of the situation as I see it today.

As a preliminary thought, I would note that what initially appeared to be primarily a 'communication' issue is actually a much more complicated situation. The FCI has taken offence to CKC's not recognizing every one of their 82 countries Stud Books with the attendant pedigrees. We currently recognize approximately half. Our CKC process for reciprocity with countries is largely mandated by the Animal Pedigree Act. Saying that, the system which is now in use is able to be modified to make it more 'user friendly'. That will be a job taken by the Legislation Committee under M. Bernier, our Quebec Director, who will work with staff to streamline the existing process. This is an oversimplification of the issue and the fix but gives an idea of areas currently able to be worked with to assist in our response to the concerns of the FCI Council. I did, in California, have the opportunity to sit with various AKC Board Members who were particularly helpful in explaining how the AKC has worked with this particular issue - one which they face as well. Some of the FCI member countries do not, in a way we can use, maintain a registry in a manner that will support the validation of a pedigree and thus confirm that the dog is purebred by standards we are able to accept.

A second significant concern expressed by the FCI Executive members who met with us was the use by Canadian Judges, when in FCI countries, of business cards stating that they are all breed FCI judges. This has incensed some FCI Judges and member countries since FCI recognizes more than twice the number of breeds recognized by Canada. The FCI has very few all breed judges and members are most concerned that Canadian Judges would accept assignments to judge breeds for which they are not licensed by their sponsor country and most concerned that they would hand out cards stating that they are all breed FCI judges. This issue will be brought to the attention of the Canadian Judges by the CKC and by the Canadian Dog Judges' Association.

A third area of concern was communication and we, as a Board, are discussing how this will be remediated. There has been no International Travel sponsored by the CKC in several years. As a result, the CKC's profile on the International stage has declined. That point was made by other countries as well as by the FCI. They simply determined that we are not a 'player' which acted as the catalyst for the sanction. I suspect that had we sent a delegation to the World Show, there would have been a membership component who would have been very vocal in expressing their dismay at our "profligate spending". However, we can't govern the CKC by such concerns. For example, all were certainly not supportive of the strong fight we have taken on to support the anti-BSL movement but it is a Board priority and precious little of my time is now 'spare' if it had ever been previously. We must reach out to both our neighbour countries, our allies who are not FCI members and to the FCI to re-establish our commitment, our voice and our credibility on the world stage. As I noted to the Board yesterday, they all expect that people in positions of trust (the elected Board - particularly the Chair and the CEO) must take a more prominent place in the International scene. The Board will have to get its' collective head around how and when that is money best spent or I fear for our profile.

There is of course significant politics that also comes into play, underlying agendae and personalities. None of those can be discounted in a full analysis of what has happened, how it has happened and next steps. That's a summary. I'm not sure it's clear enough but again, I know how frustrating it is to be in another area of the country and not have access to us as easily as do those in Ontario. I will try in the next couple of days to provide an overview of the Board Meeting of this week-end. However, if you have particular questions, as always, please feel free to email them.

Lee Steeves
December 10, 2006