Federal Agriculture Minister supports Liberal candidate Allan Thompson
BRUSSELS –Federal Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau visited Huron-Bruce on Wednesday to throw her support behind Liberal candidate Allan Thompson, who she said would speak up for farmers and rural communities.
“I know you are working so hard and I really want to be sitting next to you in Ottawa next fall and to be sitting next to you side by side at the rural caucus,” Bibeau said at a Liberal party event held at the Four Winds Barn in Brussels.
And speaking to voters in Huron-Bruce, she said Thompson would represent them well.
“You really need someone who will be there for you, who will be there for your community, who will have a loud voice and an intelligent voice,” she said.
Bibeau, a francophone MP from the riding of Compton-Stanstead in Quebec’s eastern townships, was previously minister of International Development and was moved into the Agriculture and Agri-food portfolio earlier this year.
In typical Huron County fashion, Bibeau and Thompson were piped into the room by Goderich bagpiper Matt Hoy.
Thompson welcomed her in French, noting that he was grateful for her presence in Huron-Bruce and also remarking that it was very important to receive the first woman to serve as the federal agriculture minister in Canada’s history.
Huron County Warden Jim Ginn formally welcomed Bibeau and reminded her of the staggering agricultural output of Huron County, which exceeds that of any of the Maritime provinces.
“It’s not every day that we get a federal cabinet minister in our riding, so welcome,” Ginn said. “We’re really proud of agriculture in Huron-County,’’ Ginn said. “We are the largest agricultural county in Ontario and our farmgate sales are larger than the four Maritime provinces.”
Before introducing Bibeau, Thompson noted how appropriate it was to receive a Minister of Agriculture in the Brussels barn.
“I was born and raised on a family farm up in Bruce County,’’ Thompson said. “This barn is so much like the barn where we did chores growing up.” He joked about how the barn gave him a ‘warm feeling,’ not unlike the warm feeling of being up in the hay mow under a hot tin roof on a July day when putting in square bales of hay.
But he also noted that the Brussels Barn venue evokes both the region’s agricultural heritage and its present economy.
“This is a remarkable structure, part of our past and part of our present and part of our future. And it’s a terrific example of rural economic development,” Thompson said.
He also said that farming is part of the DNA of Huron-Bruce.
“Virtually everyone in this room, even if they don’t work in agriculture or agri-food has family members and ancestors who did. Even if it’s not your job, it’s in your genes. It’s in our DNA in Huron-Bruce, it parts of the complexion of our community.”
In her remarks, Bibeau gave a tour-de-force presentation, running through the government’s successes, frankly acknowledging some weaknesses and assuring the audience honestly and earnestly about the Trudeau government’s commitment to agriculture in general and also to supply management.
While this was technically a partisan Liberal event, a good number of people who aren’t card-carrying Liberals also attended, with representatives from virtually every commodity group at the barn. Thompson and Bibeau joked at one point that the evening was a virtual Noah’s Ark for her, with representatives of every animal farmed in Huron-Bruce speaking to her at one point, as well as grain farmers and others.
Earlier in the day, the minister announced a $17 million federal contribution to expansion of the Gay Lea dairy processing facility in Teeswater, Canada’s oldest creamery. She also visited the Eby farm beef operation near Glammis and met with stakeholders from that sector.
Thompson said in his introduction that there was no better place to hold a meet and greet event with the Minister of Agriculture than in the historic Four Winds Barn, a 200-year-old barn frame rebuilt in Brussels and turned into a successful event venue.
Bibeau noted the impact of the Liberal party’s rural caucus of more than 40 MPs, who have lobbied the government hard on rural on rural and agricultural issues. One example of that success was the establishment of the ministry of rural economic development, a post held by Bernadette Jordan, Bibeau said.
But she also touched on some of the Liberal government’s other initiatives.
“Social equity is something that is very dear to the heart of Liberals and the best thing that we’ve done in the past four years is the Canada Child Benefit,” Bibeau said to applause, referring to the payments that have raised more than 300,000 children out of poverty, nearly 18,000 of them in Huron-Bruce.
She also said the gender equity in cabinet has added a level of diversity that has changed the dynamic of governance. “Now that we have such a diverse group around the cabinet table, we talk about people much more than we talk about politics,” she said.
“I can’t believe that the Conservatives are open to jeopardizing women’s rights. I can’t believe it,” she said.
And she said promoting gender equity is not only the right thing to do, it also makes economic sense.
“For Canadians it’s a lot about equality, but it’s actually a lot about economic growth. No country, no sector can leave half of their population behind. So we have to get everyone around the table. And that’s why I’m so proud to be part of the Liberal party,” she said.
She talked about the importance of confronting climate change and protecting Canada’s environment.
“The biggest threat for the environment is Andrew Scheer. If this team came back, that would be a disaster for our environment. We’d go backwards,” she said.
She also underlined the importance of reconciliation with Canada’s Indigenous peoples.
“It is 150 years of this issue. These communities have very deep scars. It is not something we can do within four years. It is a process,’’ she said. “Never before has a government done so much to support them, to understand them.”
She also defended the government’s decision to invest in people even if that resulted in higher than expected deficits. “These investments go to people and to the infrastructure we need. And actually It gives results. We are the country in the G7 with the highest economic growth and we have historically the lowest unemployment rate in Canada,” she said, noting that Canadians have created 1 million jobs since 2015.
“When we don’t invest in infrastructure, we leave this task to the new generation. When we don’t invest in the transition to a green economy, we are leaving a big, big debt to the next generation,” she said.
Speaking directly to the agriculture file, Bibeau assured producers in the supply managed commodities that the government is very genuine about its commitment to compensation for the impact of the revised North American Free Trade Agreement.
“It’s not a matter of if, it’s a matter of when. I’ve got all the approval I needed. We’re working right now on the technicalities of the financial mechanisms because dairy, poultry and eggs, you’ve not asked for the same type of mechanisms.”
“Our commitment is as strong as it could be and the second round of compensation will come as soon as NAFTA is ratified,” she said.
Thompson again thanked Bibeau for visiting Huron-Bruce and supporting his campaign and said it was hugely important to have the Minister of Agriculture visit the riding.
“If I could choose the minister in the cabinet that I would like to have visit Huron-Bruce, it is certainly the minister of agriculture. So thank you for visiting Huron-Bruce,’’ Thompson said.
