Harper Names New Associate Deputy Ag Minister

Apr 24, 2013

Timothy Sargent, one of the Senior Ranks Announced in Public Service Shuffle

Prime Minister Stephen Harper recently announced some changes in the senior ranks of the public service, including to Agriculture Canada. Harper has named Timothy Sargent, acting Deputy Secretary to the Cabinet (Operations), Privy Council Office, to become Associate Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, starting April 29, 2013. Sargent will be replacing Claude Carrière, former Associate Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, who has retired from the public service after 33-years.

While Agriculture Canada’s new head doesn’t have a background in agriculture, Sargent has ties to the finance department and the centre of government control. He worked as a senior economist at the finance department from 1994 to 2008, before moving to the Privy Council, which is the prime minister’s central government bureaucracy.

In addition to the new appointments, Harper also thanked a number of public servants who are retiring, including Brian Evans, former chief veterinary officer for Canada and vice-president of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. Evans was with the agency during the BSC crisis and was also Canada’s first chief food safety officer.

Video: Season 6, Episode 12: Veterinarians’ Perspectives on Managing Swine Herd Health Across All Phases

Identifying challenges in swine production and turning them into solutions through research and team development is the focus of this episode. Dr. Christine Mainquist-Whigham of Pillen Family Farms and DNA Genetics shares insights on herd health, biosecurity and trial work to improve pig performance. She also discusses her team’s research philosophy, how they evaluate rate of investment and how they gather feedback from employees to address challenges and maintain herd health across all phases of production. Dr. Carlos Roudergue of Country View Family Farms discusses the growing complexity of swine production, especially as technology increases and employee interaction decreases. He also shares how their workforce is shifting toward more specialized roles to support herd health and efficiency.