MPP doubts Wynne’s commitment

Premier flip-flops on agriculture: Macleod

NAVAN, Ont. • The Conservative MPP of Nepean-Carleton said she wants some “clarity” from premier-designate Kathleen Wynne about where the Liberal leader stands on issues important to rural Ontarians.

And, Lisa MacLeod said Friday, she wants it before Wynne calls the legislature back.

MacLeod accused Wynne, the MPP for the Toronto riding of Don Valley West, of “flip-flopping” when she first promised to appoint herself as Minister of Agriculture if elected as leader of the Liberal Party.

Then she said she would not do so, and later clarified that she would take over the post, “but only for a year, and maybe not this year,” scoffed MacLeod.

Wynne characterized the move as a demonstration of her commitment to learn about the portfolio and an acknowledgment of how important agriculture and food production are to Ontario.

Wynne’s office confirmed Friday that she will serve as minister of agriculture and rural affairs for one year and that she would take on the portfolio immediately after she and her new cabinet are sworn in.

But speaking to a small group of farmers and reporters at Wyatt McWilliam’s farm in Navan in rural east Ottawa, MacLeod said it would destabilize rural Ontario and relegate agriculture to a secondary ministry.

However McWilliam, who raises beef cattle and Clydesdale horses and grows hay, said he’s “glad that (Wynne) is concerned about agriculture and the rural sector because it really hasn’t been a priority for a number of years.”

The father of three girls called Wynne “a smart person,” but said being premier “is a full-time job ... you’ve got to concentrate on one job without trying to do two.”

MacLeod was not so diplomatic.

“I don’t know what’s more insulting: A downtown Toronto MPP suggesting she could be a rural affairs and agriculture minister without having any interaction with this community,” or flipflopping on whether and when she’s going to take on the job.

“What kind of message does that send to the hardworking farmers?”

McWilliam said it doesn’t matter where the minister comes from, “as long as she listens and has good advisers who consult regularly with farmers.”

Mark Wales, the president of the Ontario Federation of Agriculture, which represents 37,000 of the province’s farmers, said this week that Wynne “clearly recognizes the importance of the agriculture and food industry as an economic engine in our province,” and that her decision to become the Minister of Agriculture for a year demonstrates the level of her commitment.

In a news release, Wales said he is “hopeful Wynne will bridge the perceived Ontario urban and rural divide.”

But MacLeod said that if Wynne were to lead the portfolio, that divide would only be exacerbated.

“We do not need an urban member from Toronto telling rural Ontario what to do.