IT WAS early morning April 5 when federal agriculture minister Chuck Strahl arrived at his downtown Ottawa office building a block west of Parliament Hill. Trouble was in the air.
Half a dozen farm leaders who would soon be leading a demonstration of thousands of farmers on Parliament Hill were already waiting in the lobby for a scheduled 8 a.m. meeting.
The affable Strahl made his rounds, shaking hands and making small talk.
“I’ve got my jock strap on so let’s get at it,” he quipped to farm leaders, clearly expecting a few kicks below the belt.
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In fact, that theoretical below-the-belt protector was put to good use several times during the week as farmers and provinces combined to tell the new minister that the short-lived honeymoon is over.
Week nine for agriculture minister Strahl wasn’t so great.
Since his Feb. 6 appointment as Canada’s 31st federal agriculture minister, the well-liked British Columbia MP has been credited with being sympathetic, a good listener and an accessible minister.
He was cut some slack.
Last week, that slack was tightened into something of a noose.
Prime minister Stephen Harper made it clear the Conservative government would live by its campaign promises despite what some saw as waffling by Strahl on cost-of-production programming and replacing existing programming.
Thousands of farmers rallying on Parliament Hill joined in chants demanding that the Conservatives quit dodging the issue and get money to farmers NOW.
Farmer leaders like Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen questioned Strahl’s commitment to the industry because of his refusal to announce new farm spending until it is confirmed in a parliamentary budget vote sometime in May.
A number of provincial agriculture ministers said they felt betrayed by the federal minister because he appeared to agree at their first meeting March 20 that the core principles of the Canadian Agricultural Income Stabilization program would be retained in any new program and then announced last week on the eve of the massive farm rally that CAIS would be replaced and its core principles are not popular enough with farmers to be carried forward.
Ontario agriculture minister Leona Dombrowsky called it a flip-flop and a sideswipe of provincial ministers who had negotiated in good faith.
Saskatchewan minister Mark Wartman said Strahl was backing out of a deal.
Through it all, Strahl showed some grit.
He suggested the provincial ministers had almost willfully misunderstood what he agreed to in Harrison Hot Springs.
He suggested the harsh criticism and impatience with the new government from farm leaders at the Parliament Hill rally did not reflect the more patient, understanding and tolerant views of average farmers.
And he figured that with the political attention agriculture had received and the parliamentary pledge from Harper that agricultural promises will be kept, it was a successful week.
It was the clearest signal yet that while he is affable and co-operative, the new minister has a tough streak that will challenge farm leaders or provincial ministers when he has to in defence of the federal agenda.
It is not a bad attribute to have in a very tough and complicated job.
