It didn't take Ontario's new agriculture minister long to put his own stamp on the province's agriculture ministry, at least in name.
Rob Flack, the former CEO of Masterfeed and current provincial member of parliament for the electoral district of Elgin-Middlesex-London, jokes that he will go down in history as Ontario's shortest-serving minister of Agriculture, Agriculture and Agribusiness, as introduced in Premier Doug Ford's cabinet reshuffle last Thursday.
With outgoing Agriculture Minister Lisa Thompson taking on the role of Rural Affairs Minister, the reshuffle not only marks the end of the department long known as the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA), but also leaves some, including the new minister herself, wondering where “food” fits into the new structure.
“We felt as a team that[the name of the new ministry]needed to be changed, and the premier said, 'OK, let's change it,' so we changed it,” he tells Real Agriculture's Sean Haney in the interview below.
“I had to get recommissioned by the lieutenant governor, and we put food back in the name of the ministry because we felt that was important because obviously we have a lot of stakeholders that are directly involved in food processing, food marketing and exports,” Flack explained. “So now it's 'Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness.'”
With those quick stints finished, the new Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness Minister is now turning his attention to getting to grips with the job and the many documents it entails. He will be embarking on what he calls a “learn and listen” tour this summer and autumn.
“As a government, we don't grow or process the food; we create the enabling environment for it to succeed. Whether it's policy, regulation, food inspection, food safety, food security, there's a lot we need to do and do well to support all the stakeholders in the industry,” he says.
Flack said Premier Ford wants to bring an economic development perspective to the Ministry of Agriculture to ensure Ontario continues to attract investment and create jobs.
He says from his previous career in the animal nutrition industry he understands the importance of investing in research and innovation.
“It's not just governments or universities doing this. We need to look at and support all aspects of research and innovation. That's what this initiative is about – making sure our curiosity continues to lead to great work,” Flack says.
As he discussed in the interview, labor shortages, trade with the U.S. and other states, funding to manage business risks, and protecting farmland under pressure from population growth are some of the issues that concern him.
Flack said he was also looking ahead to the annual meeting of federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers in Whitehorse in mid-July.
Check out Sean's conversation with Ontario's new Minister of Agriculture, Food and Agribusiness, Rob Flack.
Related:
Ontario cabinet reshuffle brings new Minister of Agriculture, Farming and Agribusiness
OMAFRA comes to an end after 30 years
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