Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has announced his new, larger cabinet set to face the many challenges ahead for Canada, including regional disgruntlement, a threatened economy, and trade disruption around the world. Agriculture is in the middle of all of the these great challenges.
Quebec MP Marie-Claude Bibeau will return as minister of Agriculture and Agri-food, after filling the position in the later part of the last Trudeau government, taking over from Lawrence MacAulay.
“I think Bibeau has some support from agricultural stakeholders based on her genuine approach to learning about the industry in her short time on the file,” says Shaun Haney, host of RealAg Radio.
“Now that Bibeau is familiar with the file, there will be a high expectation from farmers across the country to deal with trade issues, trade disruption compensation, business risk management program and shrinking expectations of farm profitability in the next 12 months.”
Other cabinet portfolio appointments impacting agriculture:
- Finance – Bill Morneau
- Environment and Climate Change – Jonathan Wilkinson
- Foreign Affairs – François-Philippe Champagne
- Deputy Prime Minister – Chrytsia Freeland
- Transport – Marc Garneau
- Trade diversification – Mary Ng
- To note, former trade diversifiction minister Jim Carr, is undergoing cancer treatment. The prime minister has asked Carr to serve as a special representative for the Prairies.
RealAgriculture will have a further breakdown of the cabinet appointments and the impacts for agriculture as the day progresses.
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