Last weekend, as he flew toward South Korea to begin a series of BSE food safety seminars, Ted Haney was acclaimed the federal Liberal candidate in Calgary Nose Hill.
As president of the Canada Beef Export Federation, his profile has increased considerably in the last nine months since BSE was discovered in Alberta and he says his Liberal ambitions have the blessings of many industry leaders who sit on the federation board, as well as from the many cattle producers who have called to wish him well.
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“When I raised it with the board, there was unanimous agreement that I should do this and that I should win,” Haney said in an interview from Calgary.
“I think it was based on a need to have a very specific voice in government when policies are being made that affect our industry.”
He said there are “lots of good opposition MPs” who represent cattle ridings but none in government.
“In opposition, they are not in on the decision making. They are limited to commenting on what government has decided.”
Still, even the optimistically inclined Haney conceded he has a steep political hill to climb.
In 2000, Calgary Nose Hill voters gave the Liberal candidate less than 20 percent of their votes. In the constituencies that have covered the same territory since Alberta became a province in 1905, Liberals have won just twice, the last time in 1940.
Incumbent Conservative Diane Ablonczy won more than 60 percent of the vote in 2000.
Haney said chances are better this time because new Liberal leader Paul Martin has made western issues a priority.
He becomes the latest in a series of farm sector leaders to join the partisan political fray in 2004. In Manitoba, Bob Friesen and Don Dewar are running for Liberal nominations while in southern Alberta, Ted Menzies is running for the Conservatives.
But before he can begin his political run, Haney will spend more than a month taking part in nine beef safety seminars in South Korea, Taiwan, Mexico, China, Japan and Hong Kong.
He said he will take a leave of absence from his position as federation president during the campaign and if he loses, he will return to the job.
He said he did not think his emergence as a Liberal will hurt his credibility as a beef promoter.
“If anything, it may balance a bit because I think traditionally our industry has been identified with the right.”
He said he remains a fiscal conservative but his travels and experience have made him a social liberal and he finds the Conservatives too socially conservative.
In the past, he has not been an active political player. He last worked on a campaign in 1984 for Progressive Conservative Harvey Andre, has never joined the Reform or Canadian Alliances parties and bought his first Liberal membership just a week ago.
He chose the urban riding because that is where he lives.
