I was very skeptical when the newly-elected Premier of Ontario Kathleen Wynne appointed herself the Minister of Agriculture and Food for Ontario in February of 2013. She wanted rural support. And she was eager to learn about farming and agriculture. The Ontario Federation of Agriculture (OFA) and the Lanark County OFA organized a bus tour of Renfrew County, Ottawa-Carleton and Lanark County farms for the premier to attend. It was held in August of 2013. Twenty OFA directors, including OFA President Mark Wales, rode the bus with Ms. Wynne that day throughout the three counties. I was on that bus and at times sat across from her. We didn’t laugh and joke around. It was like being out with the Queen.
When Wynne’s appointment was announced, farm organizations and commodity groups were in a difficult position. If they were negative about Ms. Wynne taking on the very ambitious undertaking of handling two jobs, they would surely find themselves out in left field. If they were supportive, they’d have her ear.
There were 12 farm representatives on the big tour bus when two colleagues and I got on in Renfrew at 8:30 a.m. The first stop was at the Wade Schroeder beef farm near Pembroke where breakfast was served. The Premier soon arrived for a 90-minute round table discussion held in a pasture field with a dozen farm commodity leaders. Fifty or so beef cattle (cow-calf) were the only on-lookers. Only one person per commodity group could attend. The press was kept away.
Premier Wynne and a few of her staff got on the bus with us and a brief roadside stop was made at Reuben Stone’s field of hemp near Cobden. Ms. Wynne was very interested in seeing hemp and learning about it. The next farm tour stop was at the Klaesi dairy operation near Foresters Falls. Ms. Wynne went into one of the robotic milk stations and watched a cow being milked. She didn’t squirm or suggest that she needed something over her clothes. We followed and watched.
With that tour over, we were bussed to Hudson’s pork and produce farm at the outskirts of Ottawa where the mayor of Ottawa was waiting to greet the Premier. Lunch, in the shade, was corn on the cob and pork burgers. Ms. Wynne ate her cobs like we all do — hands on the cob. Then it was on to the Canadian Co-operative Wool Growers in Carleton Place to tour the huge facility. A sheep was penned at the front door and a sheep shearer showed the Premier how shearing is done. He gave her the clippers and asked if she wanted to give it a try. To our surprise, Ms. Wynne took the clippers, bent over and did some shearing. That is, until she saw a little blood on the sheep and abruptly quit, saying, “I don’t want to hurt the poor animal.”
Next stop was near Perth at Robert Campbell’s egg-laying operation where we enjoyed an outdoor luncheon. In a short speech Ms. Wynne acknowledged the Liberals have work to do, after winning just two of the ridings in the recent by-elections.
In my column on the day I wrote that Ms Wynne is certainly a different kind of agriculture minister. Her predecessors would never have tried shearing a sheep in public. Not in good clothes.
And she has certainly been a different kind of a premier.
