The Western Canadian Canola/Rapeseed Recommending Committee (WCC/RRC) met in early February to review candidate cultivars and make key decisions that help guide canola and rapeseed variety registration in Western Canada. These meetings play an important role in maintaining the integrity of the canola quality system and ensuring new cultivars entering the market meet established standards.
The WCC/RRC is an independent committee comprised of all sectors of the value chain including researchers, industry representatives, farmers, sector experts and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency Variety Registration Office as a non-voting observer. Its primary role is to evaluate candidate cultivars against defined quality and performance criteria to determine whether they meet the requirements for canola or rapeseed registration. In addition, on behalf of the WCC/RRC, the Canola Council of Canada (CCC) staff coordinate testing and inspection of pre-registration varieties, public blackleg trials at various locations across the Prairies and coordinate and carry out the whole recommendation (pre-registration) program. This work is designed to provide the board with sufficient information to make informed decisions on each potential candidate.
For farmers, the WCC/RRC’s work helps protect the value and reputation of Canadian canola. By applying a transparent, science-based evaluation process, the committee ensures that new cultivars entering the system align with established quality expectations, while still allowing room for innovation in plant breeding.
February meeting highlights
The February meeting is a key decision-making meeting for the committee. Agenda highlights this year included:
- Voting on candidate cultivars seeking full or interim registration. A total of 62 canola hybrid candidates have been recommended to CFIA for full registration after undergoing two years of trials, one year in private and one year for verification. However, not all these candidates will become commercially available. Additionally, 20 canola hybrid candidates have been recommended for interim registration based on one year of private data from at least 12 locations.
- Approval of a new check variety. One of the current WCC/RRC checks, L255PC, is being replaced by the new check DK401TL, which WCC/RRC recommends for registration in February 2025. The check subcommittee made this decision after reviewing various base characteristics, including plant height, blackleg and clubroot resistance, maturity, Verticillium resistance and yield data. Additionally, the main quality criteria were assessed, including oil content, protein levels, glucosinolates, and saturated fats, based on both previous verification data and data from 52 locations in 2025.
- Review of the updated Specialty and Contract Registration procedures. Curtis Rempel presented the outcomes of CCC’s market access committee regarding new breeding technologies for canola. This includes gene-edited traits, the market introduction of new technologies, and regulatory approvals in key markets. The current WCC/RRC operating procedures are being appended to provide guidance to canola variety developers who are utilizing CRISPR-Cas 9 and other new breeding technologies to introduce new traits. The updated procedures have been vetted with industry experts as part of a task force chaired by the Canola Council of Canada (Curtis Rempel). Additionally, Curtis highlighted that the specialty and contract registration procedure is currently under review and is expected to be finalized in a few months.
- Subcommittee reports
- Pathology Subcommittee, which monitors disease research and ensures disease testing within the WCC/RRC system remains current and robust, addressing questions and emerging issues related to canola and rapeseed diseases, as raised by the WCC/RRC board and members. It monitors disease threats and highlights concerns that may impact production and key markets. The committee reviews and recommends updates to disease-related procedures, guidelines, rating scales and protocols.
- Quality Subcommittee, chaired by Dr. Véronique Barthet of the Canadian Grain Commission, provides evidence-based information on the quality of canola and rapeseed seed, meal, and oil, invites experts to share insights to enhance the WCC/RRC quality sub-committee’s knowledge, gathers expert input to develop a comprehensive understanding of the issues, and report on suggestions or recommendations to the WCC/RRC board and membership regarding canola and rapeseed quality.
- Modernization Subcommittee, made up primarily of canola breeders, focuses on continuous improvement of testing methods and evaluation processes.
The ongoing work of this committee ensures the WCC/RRC’s recommendation system remains credible, science-based and responsive to change.
Manitoba Canola Growers currently chairs the committee and values the collaborative efforts of researchers, industry and growers that support a strong, trusted canola quality system for Western Canadian farmers.
