On the way into his first cabinet meeting Feb. 6 after his surprise appointment as Canada’s new agriculture minister, British Columbia MP Chuck Strahl was asked about his priorities.
“I guess I’ll find out in there,” he quipped as he pointed at the cabinet room on Parliament Hill.
A little more than two hours later, he emerged with his first marching orders.
Strahl announced that the first cheques to deliver most of the $755 million promised to grains and oilseeds producers by the previous Liberal government will be in the mail within two weeks. It is roughly the same timetable as the Liberals proposed for delivery.
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The new minister said the initial payment will be a greater portion of the whole than had been planned, leaving just a small final payment for the autumn. He said a producer with average sales of $70,000 will receive more than $5,200.
“Getting this money into producers’ hands quickly is an important first step in addressing the farm income problem,” he said.
“We realize this is only a first step. We made other commitments in the campaign and we will be following through on those in subsequent cabinet meetings and budgets.”
For the new Conservative government of Stephen Harper, discussion of agriculture and the farm income crisis at the first cabinet meeting was a symbolic gesture to a sector that has supported the party for years and has been in long-term trouble.
After cabinet, Harper made specific reference to the fact that following him, the agriculture minister had an announcement.
Strahl did not mention when an additional $500 million annually promised by the Conservatives during the campaign would be delivered. The Canadian Federation of Agriculture had insisted the $500 million be delivered with the $755 million.
Strahl’s selection as Canada’s 31st agriculture minister caught the industry by surprise, since Harper’s caucus has 40 or more MPs with direct connections to agriculture. While the new minister’s Chilliwack-Fraser Canyon riding in B.C. has a farm economy, particularly in the chicken and dairy sectors, he has not been active in agriculture during his almost 13 years on Parliament Hill.
No national farm leader contacted Feb. 6 could recall personal contact with Strahl on agricultural issues.
Strahl, who turns 59 in two weeks, is a respected MP who acted as deputy speaker in the last Parliament. The former construction company executive was elected as a Reform MP in 1993 and later left the Canadian Alliance when Stockwell Day was leader. He helped create a coalition with the Progressive Conservatives and then was incorporated back into the Alliance as it morphed into the Conservative Party of Canada.
Strahl is fighting a deadly form of lung cancer that results from exposure to asbestos when he was a forestry worker more than 30 years ago.
Despite their surprise at his appointment, some national farm leaders said they looked forward to working with him. They noted that with promises of more money and a new farm safety net program to deal with a record farm income crisis, Strahl has a lot on his plate.
“I don’t think his lack of connection to agriculture in the past is a negative,” Grain Growers of Canada president and Dawson Creek, B.C., farmer Jim Smolik said. “Sometimes fresh eyes can have a different vision and some perspectives that we don’t have when we are so close.”
Canadian Federation of Agriculture president Bob Friesen said experience in the industry is less important than “commitment to the portfolio, status in the government, ability to understand the issues and a willingness to work with producers. I believe minister Strahl can fulfill those requirements.”
He said CFA will expect the Conservative government to “show the same attention to agriculture and rural Canada that they showed when they were in opposition.”
In Regina, Saskatchewan agriculture minister Mark Wartman had a mixed reaction to the appointment.
“It would’ve been a real bonus to have one of the MPs from Saskatchewan as agriculture minister,” he said. “(But) Chuck Strahl has been a part of that party for a significant period of time. I think he brings a lot of strength to the position. The fact that he’s from Western Canada is a plus. I’m looking forward to getting to know him and working with him to get the best deal we possibly can for Saskatchewan farmers.”
