Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced the decision at Rideau Hall on Friday morning. The ceremony followed a week of many changes for the Liberal government, as both Housing Minister Sean Fraser and Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland stepped down from their positions.

Other appointments announced at the ceremony include Winnipeg South MP Terry Duguid as Minister of Prairies Economic Development, a role previously held by Dan Vandal. Duguid is also Minister of Sport.

Sherbrooke MP Élisabeth Brière is Minister of National Revenue, a post previously held by Marie-Claude Bibeau. Briere has been parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development and parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health.

Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith was appointed Minister of Housing.  Joanne Thompson, MP for St. John’s East, is Minister of Seniors.

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Premier Scott Moe on Thursday named Daryl Harrison, MLA for the riding of Cannington since 2020, as minister of agriculture, replacing David Marit. The shuffle cuts Moe’s cabinet to 16 members, down two from before the election.

The appointment to the cabinet table is a first for Harrison, who previously served in junior roles as legislative secretary for value-added agriculture and livestock engagement and later for energy and resources.

Marit, the MLA for Wood River since 2016 and ag minister since 2018, was shuffled Thursday back to his previous post as minister of highways and the minister for SaskBuilds and procurement. (SaskBuilds is a provincial Crown corporation overseeing major public infrastructure projects and long-term capital planning.)

Harrison, who farms at Alida, about 100 km northeast of Estevan, worked as an account manager for energy tech firm Baker Hughes before entering provincial politics in the 2020 election.

He also served as a councillor and volunteer firefighter in the RM of Reciprocity, and as a member of the board of directors for the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association.

The Agricultural Producers Association of Saskatchewan (APAS) said in a Facebook post Thursday it “looks forward to working in partnership with Minister Harrison to continue building farm and ranch family success.”

Among other appointments of interest to farmers, Travis Keisig, MLA for Last Mountain-Touchwood, enters cabinet as environment minister, replacing Melville-Saltcoats MLA Warren Kaeding, who becomes minister for trade and export development.

Moe’s Saskatchewan Party was re-elected to government on Oct. 28, with preliminary results showing the party elected in 34 ridings, ahead of Carla Beck’s New Democrats in 27. A final vote count is scheduled to begin Saturday (Nov. 9).

The province said Thursday a throne speech is expected to be scheduled “soon” for a fall sitting of the legislature.

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Strahl died Tuesday in Chilliwack at age 67, ending “a courageous and exemplary battle with mesothelioma,” his son Mark, the current Conservative MP for Chilliwack, wrote Wednesday in a statement on social media platform X.

Before entering politics, Strahl was a partner in a road construction and logging contracting firm, managing operations throughout the Fraser Valley.

Strahl had disclosed in 2005 he had inoperable lung cancer, which he’d said may be linked to exposure to asbestos from open brakes on logging equipment. Mesothelioma, a form of cancer, develops in the linings covering organs — most commonly in the lungs, according to the American Lung Association.

Strahl first sat as the Reform MP for Fraser Valley from 1993 to 2000, then as a Canadian Alliance MP from 2000 to 2003, except when suspended from the Alliance caucus as a member of a coalition of disgruntled MPs (2001-02).

Strahl then sat as the Conservative MP for what became Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon from 2003 onward, following the merger of the Progressive Conservative and Alliance parties. From February 2006 to August 2007 he served as Harper’s agriculture minister.

While in the ag portfolio, Strahl oversaw a number of changes to the government’s much-criticized ag income stabilization (CAIS) program, leading to the launch of the AgriStability, AgriInvest, AgriRecovery and AgriInsurance programs in 2007.

As point man on the government’s policies favouring “marketing choice” in Prairie wheat and barley, he spearheaded a 2007 plebiscite on Prairie barley marketing, launched a controversial policy to block the Canadian Wheat Board from spending funds to “advocate for the retention of its monopoly powers” and in late 2006 dismissed the board’s then-CEO Adrian Measner.

Strahl was also the ag minister who in 2007 called for the Canadian Food Inspection Agency to draft updates to compositional standards for cheese, leading to regulations which drew legal fire from major cheese processors such as Saputo and Kraft Canada.

Strahl also spearheaded the government’s early moves to remove the kernel visual distinguishability (KVD) system from the crop variety registration process.

Following his stint in the ag file, Strahl was shuffled first to the Indian Affairs ministry (2007-10), then to the transport, infrastructure and communities portfolio in 2010. In 2011 Strahl announced he wouldn’t seek re-election.

Grain Growers of Canada said in 2010 that as ag minister, Strahl had “made a genuine effort to reach out to ordinary farmers and commodity associations to help the formation of government policy.”

Harper in 2011 said Strahl “has tackled each of his roles with passion and enthusiasm, and with tremendous achievement. Throughout his various ministerial positions, Chuck has worked tirelessly to improve the lives of Canadians.”

“While he was a very successful politician with many accomplishments during his time in office, he didn’t let his job define who he was,” Mark Strahl wrote in the family’s statement on X. “He never lost sight of what was truly important: his faith, his family and his friends.”

A celebration of life for Chuck Strahl is planned for Friday, Aug. 23 at 1:30 p.m. at Chilliwack Alliance Church at 8700 Young Rd. At the family’s request, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Chilliwack Alliance Church Legacy Fund or to the B.C. Cancer Foundation.

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Premier David Eby, who assumed the post last month following John Horgan’s resignation, on Wednesday shuffled the provincial cabinet and named Abbotsford-Mission MLA Pam Alexis to handle the ag and food portfolio.

As ag minister, Alexis replaces Saanich South MLA Lana Popham, who had handled the file since 2017. Popham was shuffled Wednesday to the tourism, arts, culture and sport file.

A teacher by profession, Alexis has previously served as a vice-president for the Mission Chamber of Commerce and for the B.C. Winter Games. After a stint as a school trustee (2005-11), she served as a councilor (2014-18) and mayor (2018-20) for the city of Mission.

She moved into provincial politics with the 2020 election, in which she unseated Liberal incumbent Simon Gibson, whose party had held the Abbotsford-Mission riding since its formation in 2009.

“I am thrilled to get started, rolling up my sleeves now,” Alexis, a first-time cabinet minister, said Wednesday on Facebook, adding that having an agriculture minister in the Fraser Valley “will resonate with local residents.”

Relative to its land base, the Fraser Valley plays a significantly outsized role in B.C. agriculture, representing almost a third of the province’s farms and over a third of the province’s gross farm receipts. It also has over a third of the province’s poultry and egg farms and over half of the province’s dairy farms.

Eby’s other cabinet appointments of interest to farmers include:

• North Vancouver-Lonsdale MLA Bowinn Ma, leading a new ministry of emergency management and climate readiness;
• Vancouver-Fairview MLA George Heyman, returning as minister for environment and climate change strategy;
• Surrey-Fleetwood MLA Jagrup Brar, as minister of state for trade;
• Stikine MLA Nathan Cullen, formerly minister of state for lands and natural resource operations, now minister of water, land and resource stewardship (fisheries);
• Parksville-Qualicum MLA and farmer/businessman Adam Walker, formerly parliamentary secretary for the new economy, now parliamentary secretary for sustainable economy; and
• Boundary-Similkameen MLA Roly Russell, returning as parliamentary secretary for rural development.

B.C.’s ag sector, and the Fraser Valley’s in particular, is still recovering from last fall’s destructive floods, which Eby, in his mandate letter to Alexis on Wednesday, described as the largest agricultural disaster in the province’s history.

The province — and again, the Fraser Valley in particular — has also been battered by outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza in its poultry and egg sectors this year.

The province has seen 75 outbreaks of high-path avian flu in domestic birds (poultry and non-poultry) so far in 2022, affecting an estimated 1.18 million birds in total. That count includes 46 outbreaks on commercial poultry operations in the past four weeks alone.

Eby’s mandate letter to Alexis calls for her to continue to work on recommendations of the provincial Food Security Task Force to “make B.C. a leader in agricultural innovation, resilience and food security in the face of emerging challenges of supply chain disruption, global inflation, rising costs and the impacts of climate change.”

The letter also calls for her to “support the resilience of B.C.’s food system through an emergency preparedness strategy for food security,” working with the emergency management and climate readiness ministry.

It also calls on Alexis to “work with industry to identify agricultural best practices that reduce carbon pollution and support their adoption across the sector.” — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Speller, the MP for the southwestern Ontario riding of what’s now Haldimand-Norfolk from 1988 to 2004, died Thursday at age 65. A cause of death wasn’t given in his obituary Friday.

Speller served in Jean Chretien’s Liberal government as parliamentary secretary for international trade from 1998 to 2000, and chaired Chretien’s 2001 caucus task force on future opportunities in farming.

Speller also served as a member of the Commons standing committees on agriculture and agri-food (2000-03), health (2002) and foreign affairs and international trade (1997-2000), chairing the latter’s subcommittee on international trade, trade disputes and investment (1997-98).

After Paul Martin replaced Chretien as Liberal leader and prime minister, he named Speller as his first minister of agriculture and agri-food, replacing Lyle Vanclief.

The ag portfolio went to Speller in December 2003, just a few months after the discovery of Canada’s first case of BSE and the resulting closure of the U.S. and other countries to Canadian beef and live cattle.

As ag minister Speller spearheaded a $930 million Transitional Industry Support Program and arranged another $65 million to shore up shortfalls in drought-related claims made in 2002 under the Canadian Farm Income Program. Of that $995 million, about $680 million was directed to producers of cattle and other ruminants affected by the BSE-related border closures.

Speller was also agriculture minister during Canada’s first-ever outbreak of highly-pathogenic avian influenza in commercial birds, an H7N3 strain found in chickens in British Columbia’s Fraser Valley in 2004. The strain raised further concern when it was found to have infected two workers involved in depopulating affected flocks.

Speller had held his southwestern Ontario riding for the Liberals in four consecutive elections, but was defeated in 2004, 2006 and 2011 by the Conservatives’ Diane Finley and was replaced as Martin’s ag minister by Andy Mitchell after the 2004 election.

Leslyn Lewis, the current Conservative MP for Haldimand-Norfolk, said Friday on Twitter she was “shocked and saddened” to learn of Speller’s passing.

Former Saskatchewan MP Ralph Goodale, who served as Martin’s finance minister and as Chretien’s minister for the Canadian Wheat Board, hailed Speller on Friday as “a good friend, a dedicated parliamentarian and a relentless fighter for farmers. I admired his tenacity.”

The Liberals’ current agriculture minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, also writing on Twitter Friday, praised Speller as an “excellent ambassador for Canadian agriculture.”

A visitation for Speller is to be held Tuesday at Hagersville, Ont., about 35 km south of Hamilton, followed by a private graveside service. Speller’s obituary asks that memorial donations be directed to the Canadian Cancer Society. — Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Premier Francois Legault on Thursday named Andre Lamontagne, a businessman and former supermarket owner and the MNA for the southwestern riding of Johnson, as his minister of agriculture, fisheries and food, and as minister responsible for the Centre-du-Quebec region.

Legault’s Coalition Avenir Quebec (CAQ) jumped from third-party status to defeat Philippe Couillard’s Liberals and form a majority government in the Oct. 1 election.

In a caucus heavy on rookies, Lamontagne has represented Johnson in the Quebec assembly since April 2014, when he scored for the CAQ a riding held mainly by the Parti Quebecois since 1981. He easily won his riding again on Oct. 1, coming in 13,851 votes ahead of Quebec solidaire candidate Sarah Saint-Cyr Lanoie.

Lamontagne, who holds a B.A. in business administration, a master’s degree in education psychology and a helicopter pilot’s license, operated three supermarkets in the 1980s and 1990s and co-owned a chain of travel agencies.

He later ran a management consulting firm and since 2010 has owned a business specializing in buying, refurbishing, resale and leasing of helicopters. After his election as MNA, he served as the CAQ’s critic for the economy, innovation and exports.

The new minister’s relatively limited ag background doesn’t faze Quebec’s influential Union des producteurs agricoles (UPA), which noted the Johnson riding is in the midst of the Monteregie and Centre-du-Quebec, regions which combined include over a third of Quebec’s farms and farm businesses.

Thus, UPA president Marcel Groleau said Thursday in a release, Lamontagne is very familiar with the ag portfolio and the organization is eager to meet with him to discuss Quebec agriculture policy.

The UPA noted Thursday it had laid out several priorities during the election campaign, among them the protection of farmland, ensuring access to land for next-generation farmers, property taxation, risk management and Quebec’s minimum wage.

Trade issues remain prominent on the UPA’s radar, the organization said, noting the ongoing tariff fight between the U.S. and China and its effects on ag commodity prices, as well as concessions made in the new U.S./Mexico/Canada trade pact.

The province’s dairy, pork and crop sectors are either already directly affected by those issues or soon will be, the UPA said.

Among other ministries important to farmers, the UPA also noted Legault’s appointments of Marie-Chantal Chasse as environment minister, Pierre Dufour as forestry minister, Francois Bonnardel as transport minister and Andree Laforest as minister for municipal affairs.

Sylvie D’Amours, who before Oct. 1 was the CAQ’s agriculture critic, also returns to the assembly and was named Thursday as minister for indigenous affairs. –– Glacier FarmMedia Network

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Provincial Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid on Tuesday reintroduced the Burden Reduction Act, a package of amendments meant to “reduce regulatory burdens and practices that cost businesses time and money, while protecting environmental and health standards and enhancing worker safety.”

The package includes amendments to over 50 provincial statutes, including the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Act — under which the new bill proposes to eliminate the need for an order-in-council (OIC) to establish a program.

The minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs — in this case, Jeff Leal — would then have authority to either create or amend provincial programs “responsive to the needs of industry,” the province said.

The agriculture minister would then be able to establish “programs for the encouragement of any branch of agriculture, food or rural affairs,” offering grants, services or other payments and/or requiring that program participants pay specific fees.

The minister would also have authority to name an agriculture ministry employee or contractor, or an outside operator or company, to administer such programs.

OICs are decrees issued by a provincial lieutenant governor on the advice of executive council — that is, the premier and cabinet. OICs aren’t debated in the legislative assembly before they’re implemented.

The Burden Reduction Act previously got as far as first reading in June and died when the legislature was prorogued Sept. 8. –– AGCanada.com Network

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Ralph Eichler, the MLA for the Interlake-area constituency of Lakeside since 2003, was sworn in Tuesday along with Premier Brian Pallister and 11 other cabinet ministers at Winnipeg’s Canadian Museum for Human Rights, by Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon.

Eichler, 66, served two stints as ag critic during the Tories’ time in opposition, and in several other critic portfolios, most recently handling the municipal government and Manitoba Hydro files.

Previously a cattle producer, raising purebred Simmentals and a commercial herd, Eichler also served as an administrator for the Interlake School Division for eight years before entering politics.

His resume also includes a stint as owner and operator of Prairie Farm and Ranch Supply, a livestock handling equipment manufacturer and dealership, and of Teulon auction company Ray’s Auction Service, founded by his late father Raymond.

During his time in the livestock equipment business, Eichler served on the board of the Prairie Implement Manufacturers Association and helped launch the marketing of the VanderBuilt Stock Doctor, a medication injection tool for livestock.

As an MLA, Eichler has also served as a director on the State Agriculture Rural Leaders Board, a provincial, state and federal legislators’ group with members from Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, which helps develop agriculture policies and exchange best practices.

Eichler won re-election in both 2007 and 2011, and in the April 19 election, he defeated NDP challenger Matt Austman, a Winnipeg communications specialist, by a decisive spread of 4,708 votes.

The Tories’ incumbent ag critic, Midlands MLA Blaine Pedersen, also joins Pallister’s cabinet as minister of infrastructure. Ian Wishart, the MLA for Portage la Prairie and a former president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, is minister of education and training.

Pallister noted in a release Tuesday that his cabinet is reduced in size by a third from its predecessor.

“Our team’s plan for a better Manitoba with lower taxes, better services and a stronger economy was overwhelmingly endorsed by Manitobans,” he said in a release. “We know the job ahead of us will not be easy, but this is the right team to get Manitoba back on track.” — AGCanada.com Network

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“I’m certainly pleased,” said Lawrence MacAulay. “Being a dairy farmer and a seed potato farmer from Prince Edward Island, I have some idea what farming is all about.”

But while MacAulay is new to the agriculture portfolio, he is not new to the House of Commons. He has represented PEI since 1988 and is a former minister of labour, as well as past solicitor general.

“I guess if you need to be senior, I’m senior,” he said.

Repeating an oft heard refrain following cabinet’s swearing in at Rideau Hall, MacAulay said he will need to be briefed by his deputy minister — whom he had only met a few hours earlier — before commenting on particular issues.

His first priority is to meet with his provincial counterparts, as he takes over the portfolio formerly held by Gerry Ritz.

“Over the next few days I’ll combine my briefings with meeting provincial officials and industry across the country — looking forward to it,” he said.

Country-of-origin labelling and grain transportation will no doubt be on the agenda, along with the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Questions about the $4.3 billion compensation plan promised to dairy farmers under the newly ousted Conservative government remain.

When asked if the Liberal government will uphold that promise, the new Minister of International Trade said she would need to be briefed on many issues and that her first order of business was to meet with her deputy minister.

“There are some really big issues in the file,” said Chrystia Freeland.

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