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Janet Riley, Maple Leaf’s vice-president of communications, said McCain “gave great thought” to his remarks.

“He asked us to post it and we did,” she said.

Though Maple Leaf hasn’t released details on the staff member who lost his family in the crash, Riley confirmed that McCain knew him personally.

McCain — a high-profile Canadian executive, whose family is behind the famed McCain frozen french fry empire — controls 38.9 per cent of Maple Leaf Foods’ shares, according to an April 2019 management circular.

Maple Leaf has been steadily pushing into the American market, growing sales of its meat products while also emerging as a competitor to California-based Beyond Meat in the plant-based protein category.

In his last quarterly update, in October, McCain said Maple Leaf was seeing double-digit sales growth in the U.S. market with its antibiotic-free line of meat products.

And Maple Leaf’s pivot from cold cuts and hot dogs to plant protein means a major expansion into the U.S. In the past two years, Maple Leaf has opened a new division in Chicago devoted to plant proteins, and has announced plans for a US$310-million manufacturing plant in Indiana.

We are mourning and I am livid McCain Foods CEO Michael McCain

McCain also sits on the board of directors for Royal Bank of Canada, which has a significant presence in the United States.

“We are deeply shocked and saddened by the tragic loss of so many lives, and our thoughts and support remain with the victims and all those who have been touched by this unthinkable incident,” RBC said in a statement Monday. “We do not comment on the political views of independent directors, including Mr. McCain.”