Percy Schmeiser, whose name became synonymous with the legal fight against patent rights centred around Monsanto’s genetically modified canola, has died.
John Schmeiser told CBC News his father died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday afternoon at the age of 89. Schmeiser had Parkinson’s disease.
The Saskatchewan farmer became famous in the late 1990s after agrochemical giant Monsanto took him to court. The company had found its genetically modified canola in Schmeiser’s field, but he had never paid for the right to grow it.
Schmeiser insisted the seeds had blown onto his field in the wind and that he owned them.
Monsanto sued him, and in the end, the case went all the way to the Supreme Court, which ruled that the farmer had knowingly violated Monsanto’s patent.
Recently, a movie based on Schmeiser’s life was released.
As the world media descends on Percy Schmeiser and his battle with Monsanto, neighbours and scientists question the validity of his defence. 7:46
Schmeiser’s son John said the court case was only one part of his life, as it happened when Schmeiser was getting ready to retire. John said he’ll remember Percy as a dedicated father, grandfather and businessman.
“I am privileged to this day to be his son,” John said. “Growing up, it was very, very evident right from the beginning about how concerned he was about his community and his family.”
Schmeiser served on town council in Bruno, Sask., for several years, both as mayor and as a councillor. He also ran a couple of businesses and ran a farm, John said.
“We were always busy,” John said. “And he always made time to be with family. And when grandchildren started to rise, it just took it to another level for him because he had more children to be around.”
Schmeiser, who had Parkinson’s disease, is survived by his wife, Louise Schmeiser. (The Associated Press)
Schmeiser would spoil his children and grandchildren but also pushed them to be their best.
“He also challenged us … in a good way, to make sure that whatever we did or whatever we chose as a vocation, there’s something that had a little difficulty with it,” John said. “That challenge was all always done in a very friendly ‘I have your best interests at heart’ way.”
It is an inspiration about Percy, not just standing up for oneself, but to meet our burdens and challenges with enthusiasm.– Terry Zakreski
John said the family was pleasantly surprised when Christopher Walken was announced to play his dad in the film, which is called simply Percy. He said he’s been a fan of Walken’s for a long time, but it was awkward to see his family’s story on screen. His father was more joyful than Walken portrayed, he said.
“My mom was a little disappointed that Christopher Walken had a goatee, as my father never did,” John said with a laugh. “But in the end, we’re very happy with his portrayal.”
Schmeiser’s longtime lawyer, who was with him throughout the landmark Monsanto case, said there were some things the movie got right and some it got wrong.
Schmeiser was portrayed by Walken as somewhat grumpy or curmudgeonly, which Terry Zakreski said was very different from real life.
“Notwithstanding all that pressure that he was under every morning … when we went to court, he had a smile on his face as big as all of Saskatchewan,” Zakreski said.
Terry Zakreski, Schmeiser’s longtime lawyer, said the farmer was unlike anyone else he had met. Together, the two took the Monsanto case all the way to Canada’s Supreme Court. (Terry Zakreski/Facebook)
“I never met a man like him that could face the challenges that he did and withstand it and still … be the jovial person that he was,” Zakreski said. “It is an inspiration about Percy, not just standing up for oneself, but to meet our burdens and challenges with enthusiasm.”
Zakreski saw the movie at the Calgary Film Festival with Schmeiser’s son, John, and said it was a strange and surreal experience.
Though he said the film got more things right than wrong, there were some aspects where the director took artistic licence.
“The trial was a lot more intense and a lot more dramatic than it was portrayed,” he said. “It took place in Saskatoon on a larger scale and it drew an incredible amount of interest. There were media scrums going into and out of court. It was a very high pressure situation.”
Zakreski said Schmeiser’s death wasn’t a complete surprise because of his age and health concerns but still hurt to hear.
Saskatchewan farmer Percy Schmeiser’s battle with Monsanto, which went all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, has been turned into a Hollywood movie called Percy. Although the movie is endorsed by Schmeiser’s family, there are concerns about its accuracy. 2:04
“He was just an extraordinary person. I haven’t met someone like him … an example for us all.”
John said memories about his father that stand out are his passion for fishing and sharing his skills.
“He would go to great lengths to take his grandchildren, when they were four, five, six years old, he would take them fishing. And he just loved doing that,” John said. “For all of us, that was a very, very special thing and it was so important to him.”
Schmeiser would be filled with pride when he saw his grandchildren catch their first fish, John said.
“I don’t know who had a bigger smile, [Schmeiser] or one of his grandchildren,” John said. “For him, that was just an incredible sense of accomplishment, to see them catch fish.”
John said he hopes his father is remembered as that dedicated grandfather, passionate fisher and someone who would do anything to see his community succeed. Schmeiser would be there for his customers at the farm equipment dealership at any time, and even in retirement watched the weather to make sure they had a good harvest, John said.
Schmeiser is survived by his wife Louise. The two had just had their 68th wedding anniversary on Oct. 2. John said they met at a dance in Bruno, Sask., and lived there their entire lives. Now, Bruno is home for him and his siblings forever, he said.
In a video recorded in September 2020, the Schmeisers thanked people for their support through the legal battle and for the opportunity to have their story told in a recently released movie called Percy. (Mongrel Media/Vimeo)
Most job search advice is cookie-cutter. The advice you’re following is almost certainly the same advice other job seekers follow, making you just another candidate following the same script.
In today’s hyper-competitive job market, standing out is critical, a challenge most job seekers struggle with. Instead of relying on generic questions recommended by self-proclaimed career coaches, which often lead to a forgettable interview, ask unique, thought-provoking questions that’ll spark engaging conversations and leave a lasting impression.
Your level of interest in the company and the role.
Contributing to your employer’s success is essential.
You desire a cultural fit.
Here are the top four questions experts recommend candidates ask; hence, they’ve become cliché questions you should avoid asking:
“What are the key responsibilities of this position?”
Most likely, the job description answers this question. Therefore, asking this question indicates you didn’t read the job description. If you require clarification, ask, “How many outbound calls will I be required to make daily?” “What will be my monthly revenue target?”
“What does a typical day look like?”
Although it’s important to understand day-to-day expectations, this question tends to elicit vague responses and rarely leads to a deeper conversation. Don’t focus on what your day will look like; instead, focus on being clear on the results you need to deliver. Nobody I know has ever been fired for not following a “typical day.” However, I know several people who were fired for failing to meet expectations. Before accepting a job offer, ensure you’re capable of meeting the employer’s expectations.
“How would you describe the company culture?”
Asking this question screams, “I read somewhere to ask this question.” There are much better ways to research a company’s culture, such as speaking to current and former employees, reading online reviews and news articles. Furthermore, since your interviewer works for the company, they’re presumably comfortable with the culture. Do you expect your interviewer to give you the brutal truth? “Be careful of Craig; get on his bad side, and he’ll make your life miserable.” “Bob is close to retirement. I give him lots of slack, which the rest of the team needs to pick up.”
Truism: No matter how much due diligence you do, only when you start working for the employer will you experience and, therefore, know their culture firsthand.
“What opportunities are there for professional development?”
When asked this question, I immediately think the candidate cares more about gaining than contributing, a showstopper. Managing your career is your responsibility, not your employer’s.
Cliché questions don’t impress hiring managers, nor will they differentiate you from your competition. To transform your interaction with your interviewer from a Q&A session into a dynamic discussion, ask unique, insightful questions.
Here are my four go-to questions—I have many more—to accomplish this:
“Describe your management style. How will you manage me?”
This question gives your interviewer the opportunity to talk about themselves, which we all love doing. As well, being in sync with my boss is extremely important to me. The management style of who’ll be my boss is a determining factor in whether or not I’ll accept the job.
“What is the one thing I should never do that’ll piss you off and possibly damage our working relationship beyond repair?”
This question also allows me to determine whether I and my to-be boss would be in sync. Sometimes I ask, “What are your pet peeves?”
“When I join the team, what would be the most important contribution you’d want to see from me in the first six months?”
Setting myself up for failure is the last thing I want. As I mentioned, focus on the results you need to produce and timelines. How realistic are the expectations? It’s never about the question; it’s about what you want to know. It’s important to know whether you’ll be able to meet or even exceed your new boss’s expectations.
“If I wanted to sell you on an idea or suggestion, what do you need to know?”
Years ago, a candidate asked me this question. I was impressed he wasn’t looking just to put in time; he was looking for how he could be a contributing employee. Every time I ask this question, it leads to an in-depth discussion.
Other questions I’ve asked:
“What keeps you up at night?”
“If you were to leave this company, who would follow?”
“How do you handle an employee making a mistake?”
“If you were to give a Ted Talk, what topic would you talk about?”
“What are three highly valued skills at [company] that I should master to advance?”
“What are the informal expectations of the role?”
“What is one misconception people have about you [or the company]?”
Your questions reveal a great deal about your motivations, drive to make a meaningful impact on the business, and a chance to morph the questioning into a conversation. Cliché questions don’t lead to meaningful discussions, whereas unique, thought-provoking questions do and, in turn, make you memorable.
Nick Kossovan, a well-seasoned veteran of the corporate landscape, offers “unsweetened” job search advice. You can send Nick your questions to artoffindingwork@gmail.com.
CALGARY – Canadian Natural Resources Ltd. reported a third-quarter profit of $2.27 billion, down from $2.34 billion in the same quarter last year.
The company says the profit amounted to $1.06 per diluted share for the quarter that ended Sept. 30 compared with $1.06 per diluted share a year earlier.
Product sales totalled $10.40 billion, down from $11.76 billion in the same quarter last year.
Daily production for the quarter averaged 1,363,086 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 1,393,614 a year ago.
On an adjusted basis, Canadian Natural says it earned 97 cents per diluted share for the quarter, down from an adjusted profit of $1.30 per diluted share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 90 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
CALGARY – Cenovus Energy Inc. reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year as its revenue edged lower.
The company says it earned $820 million or 42 cents per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, down from $1.86 billion or 97 cents per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled $14.25 billion, down from $14.58 billion in the same quarter last year.
Total upstream production in the quarter amounted to 771,300 barrels of oil equivalent per day, down from 797,000 a year earlier.
Total downstream throughput was 642,900 barrels per day compared with 664,300 in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Cenovus says its funds flow amounted to $1.05 per diluted share in its latest quarter, down from adjusted funds flow of $1.81 per diluted share a year earlier.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 31, 2024.
