A vocal advocate for Canadian agriculture in the federal Liberal caucus has been appointed as a parliamentary secretary for agriculture and rural economic development by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Kody Blois, who was first elected in the Nova Scotia riding of Kings-Hants in 2019 and has served as chair of the House of Commons agriculture committee since 2021, takes over the parliamentary secretary post from Francis Drouin, who has announced he is not running the upcoming federal election.
Officially, Blois becomes Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency as part of a shuffle involving 19 different parliamentary secretary roles announced on Friday afternoon.
A parliamentary secretary’s job is to assist a cabinet minister with their duties, which can include working with other MPs on House of Commons business and engaging with the department. As noted in a Library of Parliament overview, the role can also “serve as a training ground for future ministers or as a way of rewarding members of the government caucus.”
Blois has advocated for changes to the federal carbon tax to reduce the burden on farms and rural Canadians, for making Canada an agriculture and food “superpower,” and for quicker approvals of new agriculture products and technologies.
He is endorsing Mark Carney in the race to replace Trudeau as Liberal leader and prime minister.
Drouin posted on social media that it was an honour to serve as parliamentary secretary for agriculture ministers Marie-Claude Bibeau and Lawrence MacAulay, and that his replacement Blois “shares that same passion and will continue to promote ag in his new role.”
Today I was appointed as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture, and the Minister of Rural Economic Development, including the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency.
As a Member of Parliament representing a rural riding here in Kings-Hants, I have taken great… pic.twitter.com/AIo5K8vkdL
— Kody Blois (@KodyBloisNS) February 21, 2025
