With an election promised in less than a year and the opposition gaining strength in the polls, the federal Liberal party is trying to attract farm leaders to its election team, farm community sources say.
“I had a call,” a former national farm leader said last week. “They wondered if I would be interested. I said only if I was promised a cabinet spot. I’m not expecting a call back.”
Others also have been receiving calls as the governing Liberals try to shore up their strength in rural areas.
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Outside Ontario, most rural seats are represented by opposition MPs. In the next election, rural Ontario is expected to be a heated battleground between the Liberals and the Canadian Alliance.
The Liberals go into the election with a slim majority won by a sweep of all rural Ontario seats in 1997.
One farm leader said some Liberals indicated they would like at least four farm leaders to be wearing party colors in the next election.
“I think they found in the past few years that they didn’t really have strong rural voices to defend the government position on farm issues.”
One of the strongest Liberal farm voices in the past two Parliaments has been former National Farmers Union president Wayne Easter, who was an unexpected catch for the Liberals in the 1993 election.
Mentioned as a coveted possible candidate this time is former Dairy Farmers of Canada president Barron Blois from Nova Scotia, where the party was shut out in the last election.
Possible candidates
Prominent Nova Scotia provincial Liberal MLA and former Canadian Federation of Agriculture vice-president Don Downe also is mentioned. In Ontario, dairy leader John Core may be a target.
The Liberals also are hoping to attract some prominent rural leaders in Western Canada, party sources have said. No names have yet been put forward as potential candidates.
Meanwhile, prime minister Jean ChrŽtien last week announced some parliamentary shuffling in anticipation of the September resumption of Parliament.
Rural Ontario MP and former store owner Larry McCormick has been appointed parliamentary secretary to agriculture minister Lyle Vanclief. He replaces Prince Edward Island MP Joe McGuire. McCormick has been chair of the Liberal rural caucus.
