The newly constituted House of Commons agriculture committee has something old, a lot new, a bit more blue and an interesting twist on tradition.
The old includes a handful of veterans from previous committees including Liberals Paul Steckle, Rose-Marie Ur, David Kilgour and Wayne Easter, along with Saskatchewan Conservatives Gerry Ritz and David Anderson.
The new includes a swath of rookie MPs – Ontario Conservative Larry Miller, Manitoba Conservative James Bezan, Ontario New Democrat Charlie Angus and Bloc Québecois Denise Poirier-Rivard.
Liberal Claude Drouin and BQ MP Roger Gaudet are new to the committee although not to Parliament.
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The increased blue results from the government’s minority status. The Liberals have just five seats on the 12-seat committee while the Conservative contingent has gone up to four from three.
Although parliamentary experience resides with the Liberals – a combined 65 years in Parliament among the five government MPs compared to 13 years among the opposition MPs – the numbers reside with the opposition.
Steckle, after being re-elected chair of the committee, said he recognized the new reality that Liberals won’t always get their way. In fact, for the first time the two committee vice-chairs will be filled from the opposition. This will be the case with all Commons committees, except for those that are chaired by opposition MPs. In that case, one vice-chair will be from the opposition and the other from the Liberals.
“I believe that we can work and have consensus around the table, that we can build consensus even though we start from different points,” Steckle said.
“We have to, as a government in a minority situation. I realize the majority I count on is on my left (the opposition side) and I will be doing that from time to time to seek progress and movement on issues, which all of us together would agree are important.”
The twist in tradition is the absence of the Conservative agriculture critic from the committee.
Traditionally, the chief critics for each opposition party are on the committee of their responsibility but Conservative leader Stephen Harper decided not to assign Diane Finley to any committee.
“The leader wants me freed up to undertake some special assignments,” she said.
Harper press secretary Carolyn Stewart Olsen said he wants Finley to be free to spend time away from Parliament to meet farm and food industry interests across the country to develop Conservative party agricultural policy. She will be able to attend committee meetings when in Ottawa.
Several other critics, including industry critic James Rajotte of Edmonton, also are not on their sector committees, Stewart Olsen said.
“On what are major portfolios, the critic has been given more freedom to travel and develop policy rather than be tied down to committee, although there also will be opportunity to work at committee,” she said.
“This is an indication we consider agriculture a major portfolio that needs lots of attention.”
When he spoke in Parliament during the BSE emergency debate, Harper made a point of praising his new agriculture critic, who defeated former agriculture minister Bob Speller in the June 28 election.
“Let me begin by acknowledging that this new member has demonstrated in her very short time here an exceptional dedication to the cause of our agriculture community and is providing strong leadership to help those who are affected by this case,” he said.
Finley also chairs a Conservative caucus BSE task force.
