P.E.I.'s Heath MacDonald says he wants to 'raise the bar' as Canada's agriculture minister
CBC
Newly appointed Agriculture and Agri-Food Minister Heath MacDonald says he's humbled and privileged to be named to the federal portfolio.
The Liberal MP for P.E.I.'s central riding of Malpeque is the lone voice for the province in Prime Minister Mark Carney's new cabinet, sworn in Tuesday.
"A lot of emotions run through your mind," MacDonald told CBC News on Wednesday about learning he would be appointed to the post.
"You want to do the best job possible for Islanders, of course, and Canadians as a whole."
The agriculture portfolio was previously held by former P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay, first from 2015 to 2019, and then again from 2023 until March this year.
The Agriculture and Agri-Food mandate is a broad one that interacts with various sectors and regions, MacDonald said.
"You have to work closely with the other departments and those ministers and ensure that they fully understand that the decisions that they're making could have an impact on agriculture right across the country," he said, adding that Carney's downsized cabinet will allow for closer collaboration between members.
While the ministerial mandate has not yet been released, MacDonald said his primary focus will be on trade.
"We need to diversify our trade as quickly as possible, we need to remove our regulatory burdens on the industries and sectors that we're dealing with and we need to continue to invest in innovation and technology," he said.
"We need to work on those as promptly and quickly as possible to ensure that we are competitive in a global market."
Having previously served as P.E.I.'s finance minister, MacDonald said he understands the need for government to be fiscally responsible.
"We have to advance the economy as quickly as possible and I think Mr. Carney, with his background, is certainly the one to do that."
This week, the P.E.I. Federation of Agriculture raised concerns about how the Canadian Food Inspection Agency operates, saying CFIA's risk-management policies can often make it more difficult for Island producers to export thier food.
Wednesday, MacDonald said the agency plays an important role.
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