I took the opportunity as a media representative to attend the recent swearing in ceremony of the Brian Pallister, PC Manitoba government at the Canadian Human Rights Museum. First off, southern Manitoba has a number of ministers of this new Pallister government, Cam Friesen, [Winkler Morden] finance minister, Kelvin Goertzen [Steinbach], minister of health, seniors and active living, Cliff Cullen [Boissevain] minister of growth, enterprise and trade, and Blaine Pederson, minister of infrastructure.
I’m excited about the new direction I believe the province will take on the leadership of Premier Pallister, the 12 ministers, and all the other hard-working MLA’s, some veterans, and others newly elected.
Listening to the five ministers chosen to speak to the media immediately after the ceremony, they all made their appropriate comments relating to their charge, but all said, “The challenges are big, but I [we] will work hard to make Manitoba a better place. Knowing the Pallister family, especially Brian’s brother Jim, being successful is about having a plan, implementing that plan as best as possible, and working hard at making it work for the betterment of Manitoba.
However, my focus is on the minister of agriculture, Ralph Eichler because that is where my top interests lie. In an interview with ag minister Eichler, yep that is what it is, he answered some of the questions that I had asked before they called the election. So happy to see them delete the long-name-no-one can remember, ‘minister of agriculture, food, and rural affairs’, or MAFRA for short and call Ralph simply the minister of agriculture.
“Right off the bat we have the new Growing Forward 2 program up for renewal that will be a priority for us,” says Eichler. “If you remember going back when I was the previous ag critic, I talk much about consultation. We have to get this program right, our staff in the department has been working on that, and I look forward to making it right.” The new ag minister told me he’s happy to retain the services of Dori Gingera Beauchemin, who became the deputy minister back in 2013.
“I’m tickled to death that she stayed on as deputy minister and things are pretty smooth in the department, but they need some tweaking. We need to find those things that need tweaking and fix them, and make them better for Manitobans,” he says. “And of course our red tape program we want to do as well, making it more simple to do some things, if possible. Those are the first things we need to be working on. I have a great team and look forward to working with them.”
That took me right into my next question because in my opinion regulations have really squeezed the ag industry unduly and I know we can’t live without them but is there any way we can fine tune some of them as it pertains to raising hogs, and those kinds of things.
“Well you know all of those kinds of things are up for discussion. We will look at those on a case by case basis, but we have a very aggressive program we want to move forward on but announcing that as we go forward,” says Eichler.
Another point I made with the ag minister has to do with going back when I started as a farm journalist in 1971, I relied heavily on what we then called the ag reps. And there are were good ones across the province that gave of themselves and the things they knew to help farmers improve wherever possible. We had really top notch extension people out in the field. I know we need specialists, and pencil pushers, but that was a time when farmers in Manitoba really got bang for their buck from their extension service.
Mr. Eichler says you bring up a good point and all that will be up for review. As you know, I was so disappointed with the closure of many of the rural ag offices, but what’s done is done – we will look forward not backward.
“All that will be up for review and working with my staff to ensure we get the best bang for our buck. You are bang on with those comments and I support them, but as far as moving forward with them, it is just a little premature,” he says. •
— By Harry Siemens
