His name is Rory McAlpine and he's the VP of Government and Industry Relations for Maple Leaf Foods Inc. - the same Maple Leaf Foods whose contaminated equipment caused the worst listeria outbreak in Canadian history which tragically led to the deaths of 22 Canadians.
If I were the President of Maple Leaf Foods Mr. McAlpine would be fired in the blink of an eye.
Why?
Because on August 8th, at the 78th Annual Couchiching Conference during a session entitled, "Food Safety and Regulation: How Safe Is Safe Enough?" he decided to make light of Maple Leaf Foods Inc.'s role in the listeriosis outbreak.
He starts his delivery at 33:50 in the video but I've cut the clip out and uploaded the "joke" to youtube and posted it below (email subscribers click the post title in the body of the email to bring you to the blog to watch).
Amazingly Mr. McAlpine sets up his joke by stating that while others may have gotten in trouble for "making light of the tragedy", that he himself could talk about the "light side" of food safety because, "we were at the centre of it" and perhaps because his son also became ill from eating tainted Maple Leaf Foods bologna recovering within 24 hours.
Unfortunately, this wasn't the first time I've heard this joke. The first time I heard it it was presented by someone from Health Canada who when I confronted her with its tastelessness initially defended her stand-up act by noting that the joke is really on the Toronto Maple Leafs. She was then duly mortified when I asked her if that would be any consolation for the 22 Canadians who died or their friends and families? It was because of her sincere regret after the fact that I didn't go public with that story.
Here things are different. Here Mr. McAlpine is not a nervous junior Health Canada staffer; here Mr. McAlpine explicitly notes that he is indeed making light of tragedy; and here Mr. McAlpine is officially representing the admittedly culpable corporation at a conference on food safety no less.
Mr. McAlpine, there's nothing funny about what happened, there is no "light side" to the circumstances and food safety issues that led to your company's killing of Canadians however inadvertently, and if you for one moment think I'm over-reacting you ask yourself if you'd have made that same joke if your son had died rather than simply gotten ill due to your company's failure to properly clean its equipment?
The word that leaps to my mind to describe your actions Mr. McAlpine is repugnant - shame on you.
[Hat tip to my friend and fellow nutritional advocate Mr. Bill Jeffery, National Coordinator for the Centre for Science in the Public Interest]
Posts
Dear Dr. Freedhoff,
ReplyDeleteI tried to reach you by phone and am hoping we can connect personally, but I also want to sincerely apologize on your blog for the joke with which I began my comments at the Conference earlier in August. These were my personal remarks, and I appreciate in hindsight they were not appropriate given the Listeriosis outbreak and the death and illness it caused. I didn’t in any way mean to make light of this tragedy and I feel terrible that my early remarks conveyed a callousness that I don’t feel. You have every right to call me on it and I am deeply sorry.
I hope my full remarks that day, the questions from the audience and my participation in the panel discussion reflect better on how acutely accountable I and everyone at Maple Leaf feels for what happened and all the actions we are taking to achieve our commitment to food safety leadership.
Sincerely,
Rory McAlpine
I don't think you should have to apologize for the joke, this is simply political correctness run amuck. Both my wife and I agreed that the joke is actually kind of funny. This reminds me of the new disaster/accident rules which seem to be: anyone that died was a saint, we must always speak reverently of it, and the survivors can do no wrong.
ReplyDeleteLate night comedians -- and anonymous blog commentators for that matter -- can and do joke about a wide range of topics. One funny and popular syndicated column mocks tragic deaths under the heading, "thinning the herd."
ReplyDeleteBut, executives of a company whose product was connected with multiple deaths will want to be more disciplined.
It's not political correctness. Just good human kindness and business sense to leave the comedy to the comedians.
I think Mr. McAlpine crossed a line of inappropriateness; but more importantly, I admire that he took responsibility and apologized, evidence of his humility and integrity. The fact that he tried to reach Yoni by phone and wrote a heartfelt apology for us to read, is the type of personal choice that more of us need to make when we open our mouth and let careless words slip out. It's common decency, and sadly, that has run amok these days and is far too scarce. I'm glad Yoni called him on it; and I'm impressed that Mr. McAlpine admitted he made a mistake.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations! Our selection committee compiled an exclusive list of the Top 100 fitness Blogs, and yours was included! Check it out at http://thedailyreviewer.com/top/fitness
ReplyDeleteYou can claim your Top 100 Blogs Award Badge at http://thedailyreviewer.com/pages/badges
Cheers!
Ted...
I do not think that Mr. McAlpine needs to apologize. I believe you can take this issue as seriously as Dr, Freedhoff and at the same time appreciate a good laugh. Can we really say we are healed after suffering until we can laugh again? I believe laughter is a required element in the healing process, even when the topic is as close as Maple Leaf to Listeria. As case in point, please read the USA Today article: "A laugh a day may help keep death further away" found at the following link.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.emailthis.clickability.com/et/emailThis?clickMap=viewThis&etMailToID=1203955773
Thanks
D.Ariagno