Governance

Our high level of integrity is reinforced at all levels in the Company. The Board of Directors and management are committed to maintaining a high standard of corporate governance to earn the trust of our shareholders and other stakeholders consistently.

Board Mandate

The Board has a formal mandate setting out its responsibilities in the stewardship of the Company that includes the Board’s responsibilities for the appointment and development of management, strategic planning, monitoring of financial performance, financial reporting, risk management and oversight of the Corporation’s policies and procedures, communications and reporting, and compliance.

The Board of Directors and the Company’s management are accountable to the shareholders. All of the Board’s activities are for the purpose of preserving and enhancing the underlying value of the Company. The roles of the Board, the CEO, the Chairman and the individual committees are clearly delineated. Corporate governance processes and practices are regularly assessed to ensure governance objectives are met.

Management is led by the CEO, who is responsible for the development of long-term corporate strategy. The Board has clear guidelines to assist in meeting its corporate governance responsibilities. It reviews, questions, validates and approves the strategies of each operating segment of the Company.

Read more about the Board’s mandate

 

Board of Directors

Our Board has nine members, seven of whom are independent of the Company and management under the securities laws. Our independent directors are very experienced, high-calibre business leaders with diverse, relevant skills and competencies.

Code of Business Conduct

We are committed to the highest standards of respect and integrity in our business relationships and activities. These standards apply both internally and to business conducted with customers, suppliers, competitors and investors. The Board expects directors, officers and employees to act ethically at all times.

The Board takes all steps to assure itself of the ethics and integrity of the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and the executive officers and to ensure the appropriate ethical conduct procedures are established.

The Code of Business Conduct Policy guides the standards of business conduct expected of all employees at Maple Leaf Foods. The actions of all our employees are framed by our Code of Business Conduct and our Leadership Values. Each year, every employee reaffirms in writing their adherence to the policy at the time of their performance review.

In addition, Maple Leaf Foods has a whistle-blower hotline. EthicsLine provides employees with a way of raising concerns such as fraud, accounting irregularities, product tampering or other issues. All calls are recorded and logged at an independent call centre. They are all tracked and resolved using a case management system. All complainants are protected from reprisals when reporting concerns in good faith. The Audit Committee reviews reports on the calls and their resolution on a quarterly basis.

Read Our Code of Business Conduct Policy

 

Corporate Governance Documents