By Alice McFarlane

Farm group responds to ‘surprise’ appoint of agriculture minister

May 15, 2025 | 2:46 PM

The Western Canadian Wheat Growers Association was shocked when Heath McDonald was named the new Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister.

When Prime Minister Mark Carney announced his new cabinet this week, many were expecting Kody Blois to remain in the role, according to Kaitlyn Kitzan, the treasurer and one of the Directors of the Wheat Growers.

Kitzan said you don’t often see agriculture groups complimenting a Liberal government or Liberal ministers.

“I think Kody really resonated with Western Canadian farmers because he made an effort to come out to Western Canada to visit farms to get to know the industry, to get to know the people and listen to the agriculture industry,” Kitzan said. “During the campaign, a lot of his priorities and commitments really aligned with our association and what we believe, especially when it came down to trade and investment and regulatory modernization and reform. Kody, I think, was becoming really well respected in the Canadian agriculture industry.”

But like other farm groups, the Wheat Growers are looking forward to meeting with MacDonald, eventually, either virtually or in person.

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“I personally think agriculture is the heart of the prairies. If he wants to be a great agriculture minister and get to know the sector, he should make a trip out to Western Canada to meet with the farmers here,” she said. “This is a great time to do so as tractors and seeders are in the field. It’s a great time to come learn about the technology and all the great work that our farmers are doing.”

In addition to touring Western Canada to get a sense of what farming looks like in this part of the world, Kitzan said the new agriculture minister needs to focus on trade with US and the Chinese tariffs top of mind.

“Looking at trade and competitiveness and what we can do nationally here in Canada with infrastructure investment especially around our ports. A huge thing that could be looked at is regulatory reform, something that the Liberal government has promised for many years, but we haven’t really seen action on that.”

Kitzan said removing any barriers that restrict growth in the agriculture sector should also be a priority.

“Things like the carbon tax or any kind of policies that don’t align with agriculture or allows for agriculture growth in the country. Those are the ones that I would say are probably top of mind but also infrastructure and looking at sustainability policies that maybe don’t align with agriculture, those are a few that I would point out,” she said.

Grain Growers of Canada (GGC) welcomed the appointment of Canada’s new federal Cabinet and urged immediate action to support grain farmers and protect the viability of the sector.

GGC called for progress on three fronts: resetting trade relationships with Canada’s two largest trading partners for grain and grain products, the United States and China; passing legislation to permanently remove the carbon tax from on-farm activities; and issuing a formal reversal of the capital gains tax increase. Canadian grain producers are looking for these measures to be addressed before the summer recess to prevent further strain on family farm operations, export competitiveness, and the broader economy.

GGC said it is looking forward to working with MacDonald, Minister of Finance and National Revenue François-Philippe Champagne, Minister responsible for Canada–U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of International Trade Maninder Sidhu, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Industry Mélanie Joly, and Minister of Environment and Climate Change Julie Dabrusin.

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alice.mcfarlane@pattisonmedia.com