Sask. MP Anderson to have role in the demise of the wheat board

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Published: May 26, 2011

Southwestern Saskatchewan Conservative MP David Anderson, a farmer and fierce critic of the Canadian Wheat Board monopoly since his 2000 election, has been handed a role in orchestrating its demise.

Last week, prime minister Stephen Harper re-appointed Anderson the parliamentary secretary to the minister of natural resources and parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Gerry Ritz for Canadian Wheat Board issues.

The government has vowed to end the CWB wheat and barley monopoly by Aug. 1, 2012.

As parliamentary secretary, Anderson will answer questions in the House of Commons when Ritz is not there and likely will represent the government on the Commons agriculture committee when wheat board legislation is on the agenda. His job will be to shepherd the bill through committee hearings.

The parliamentary secretary position comes with a $15,834 annual top-up to the basic MP salary of $157,731.

Anderson, an MP for Cypress Hills-Grassland since 2000, has held the wheat board responsibility since the Conservatives took office in 2006, leading opposition MPs to complain that he was in a conflict of interest because while his job was to represent wheat board interests in the House, his agenda was to undermine it.

Eastern Ontario three-term MP Pierre Lemieux was re-appointed parliamentary secretary to Ritz, a position he has held since 2008.

Announcement of parliamentary secretaries for the session that begins June 2 also brought a promotion for second-term southern Manitoba Conservative Candice Hoeppner.

After being tapped by the party to travel into opposition ridings during the election campaign promoting abolition of the long run registry, the MP from Portage-Lisgar riding was appointed parliamentary secretary to public safety minister Vic Toews, who holds the neighbouring riding of Provencher.

The government has vowed to abolish the gun registry in this Parliament.

Rural Nova Scotia MP Gerald Keddy returns as parliamentary secretary to the minister of international trade. Ed Fast of Abbotsford, B.C., will serve as the minister of international trade. He is a veteran MP but it’s his first ministerial posting.

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