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Percy Schmeiser
Percy Schmeiser, farmer, business owner, Saskatchewan MLA 1967–71, politician (born 5 January 1931 in Bruno, SK; died 13 October 2020). Farmer Percy Schmeiser was mayor of Bruno, Saskatchewan, from 1963 to 1982 and MLA for the riding of Watrous from 1967 to 1971. He is best known as the defendant in Schmeiser v. Monsanto, which was argued all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada. Monsanto, an American agrochemicals corporation, accused Schmeiser of illegally using their patented genetically modified seeds. Schmeiser claimed they had simply blown onto his farm. He became a folk hero for his stand against a large agricultural corporation and against the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in agriculture. An advocate for environmental justice, farmers’ rights, and the right to save seeds, he received the Mahatma Gandhi Award and the Canadian Health Food Association Hall of Fame Award.
