The longest Canadian election in my lifetime is finally over and the new government seems ready to settle in and get down to business.
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The newly minted sparkly and shiny cabinet certainly seems to have lots of qualifications, although I can't help but reflect that the person who commented that a gender equal cabinet sparked a 5,000% increase in men concerned about cabinet qualifications hit the nail on the head.
I expect there will be some comments made about the fact our new defense minister wears a turban. If you are like to make dismissive comments over that you might check the man's credentials. He has proven himself able and willing to put himself on the line to protect you. And me. I can't remember a time when we had a more qualified defense minister.
The same with the new ag minister. A seed potato grower with a past in dairy and years of government experience.
The knock about ag ministers of course is that in a lot of governments they have trouble finding a voice amid all the chatter over other issues. The new ag minister however has a background that includes several key cabinet posts. We would expect he not only knows where the lunch room is on Parliament Hill, he knows, or he should know the inner workings of government and how to get things done.
It is had to imagine a more qualified ag minister.
Having said that, qualifications do not always result in quality work. The farm community will judge the ag minister's job, by the job he does over the next four to five years, not by past qualifications, just as they, and the country as a whole will judge the new government by the work it does over the next four or five years, not the number of women or men or anything about them.
In four or five years time we will judge them and we will judge them at the ballot box.
Of course the standards by which we judge them remain to be seen. Because we do not have one unified farm voice that wants one single set of operating regulations.
The red meat industry doesn't necessarily want the same thing as the chicken producers, and the grain farmers and the milk producers sure don't see eye to eye on many issues including international trade.
One of the big things farmers need is a voice but it is also an ear. An ag minister who will put in an appearance say, at an OFA meeting. Maybe drop into a local federation meeting and take questions and suggestions. We haven't had that on a federal or a provincial level for a long time.
Whether it happens or not remains to be seen.
Congratulations are due to Canada's new Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay.
Welcome to your new portfolio sir.
It is November and farm meeting season in Ontario is drawing in.
Hope to see you there.
