Another Agriculture Minister from the Maritimes?

I was willing to give Prime Minister Mark Carney a chance, but so far, he’s disappointed me. His choices for the federal cabinet tell me one thing – nothing has changed.

Many producers and ag-industry representatives are disappointed that Carney did not keep former Ag Minister Kody Blois in the post. While he wasn’t from the West, he had contacted several industry influencers to start the conversation. He genuinely seemed like he wanted to help western farmers economically and from a representation standpoint. He wanted the federal government to formally recognize Canada as an “agriculture superpower.”  Interestingly, he was against the carbon tax and made it very public that he thought it was divisive and that getting rid of it was good for farmers.

 

Maybe that was the problem – maybe the Liberals thought Blois was getting too friendly with the West?

Yet again, we have a federal Ag Minister from PEI. Heath MacDonald is the new minister. Before him, we had Lawrence MacAulay, also from the Land of Anne. Don’t get me wrong, I like PEI – beautiful red, fertile soil, potato fields for as far as the eye can see. I also hear they have great beaches. 

But PEI represents a fraction of our agriculture industry.

In 2021, Atlantic Canada accounted for approximately 3.2% of Canada’s total number of farms and 1.3% of the total farm area (according to Stats Canada). Besides potatoes and blueberries, these provinces don’t contribute significantly to Canada’s food production. 

With so few Liberals elected in the West, it’s clear that Carney didn’t have a lot to choose from. I guess we’re supposed to be satisfied with Edmonton’s Eleanor Olszewsk as Minister for Prairies Economic Development. Maybe the Calgary Liberal MP Corey Hogan could have been another option?

It feels like a smack in the face. It’s so evident that Cabinet positions are not chosen based on experience or regional representation. It’s all about appeasing areas of strong Liberal support and neutralizing any political threats.

The last Ministers of Ag from the West were Gerry Ritz of Saskatchewan from 2007 – 2015 under Stephen Harper and Charles Mayer of Manitoba from 1984-1988 under Brian Mulroney. Oh, the good ‘ol days.

Some of Carney’s other cabinet choices suggest a lack of serious intent to bridge Western alienation or prioritize the responsible development of our natural resources. 

I’m not feeling hopeful we will get anywhere with building out transportation infrastructure under Transport Minister Chrystia Freeland. The recent contradictions about building pipelines involving Carney and former Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault show they’re clearly not united in growing the oil and gas industry. At least Guilbeault is out of the Environment and Climate Change portfolio now. 

The only way this could have been any worse is if we had an agriculture minister appointed from Quebec – dairy and supply management would consume the next three years and important issues like trade and exports wouldn’t get the attention they deserve.

I’m no political strategist, but Carney’s cabinet position selections will fuel, not dampen, the calls for Western separation. 

I’d really like to know who, if anyone, the Prime Minister is talking to about the agriculture industry. I’d gladly accept an invitation to meet with him and host him any day at our farm in Moosomin to discuss the critical issues facing agriculture.