Ag minister, deputy premier | Whether to sign on to the Growing Forward 2 on front burner
Quebec’s new agriculture minister is the most veteran politician in the province.
François Gendron, first elected in 1976 with former premier René Levesque and re-elected eight times since, was sworn in as the Parti Quebecois’ agriculture minister and deputy premier Sept. 20.
One of his first decisions will be whether to sign Quebec onto the Growing Forward 2 five-year policy framework that switches the emphasis of federal-provincial programming from farm income support to investment in research, innovation and competitiveness programs.
No Quebec minister was in Whitehorse Sept. 14 for the GF2 agreement because the new PQ government had not been sworn in yet. As a result, the province did not sign on.
Read Also
Extreme rain increases as planet warms
In this issue, we are going to wrap up our look at extreme rainfall by examining the different weather patterns that tend to be associated with these rainfall events.
“It is a big cut in farm support, but I’m sure Mr. Gendron will look at the agreement and decide if it is Quebec’s interest,” Bloc Québecois MP and former agriculture critic André Bellavance said Sept. 21.
Premier Pauline Marois has instructed Gendron to promote sovereignty for Quebec and devise policies that will promote food sovereignty.
It echoes the pledge by the first PQ agriculture minister, Jean Garon, in 1976 that Quebec would become food self-sufficient so that when it separated from Canada, it would be able to feed itself.
Bellavance said food sovereignty means supporting and promoting local production but not excluding food from other provinces or abroad.
“Food self-sufficiency or food sovereignty means promoting local produce, making sure that it is on store shelves because supporting local farmers means supporting local communities,” said Bellavance.
Gendron, 67, represents a rural Quebec riding.
Bellavance said the fact that he also has been named deputy premier is important.
“For too long when people talk about the economy, they leave agriculture out,” he said. “As vice-premier, he will have a strong voice and I think agriculture will have a strong presence in the new government. It is a good thing.”
