Kody Blois appointed minister of agriculture in Carney’s cabinet

Mar 14, 2025
By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content, Farms.com

Blois has represented the riding of Kings-Hants in Nova Scotia since 2019

Canada has a new minister of agriculture and rural economic development.

Kody Blois, the Nova Scotia MP from Kings-Hants, received the appointment from new Prime Minister Mark Carney and was sworn in on March 14.

Blois takes the ag portfolio from Lawrence MacAulay, who recently announced his retirement from politics. Blois also absorbs the rural development file from Gudie Hutchings, who on Jan. 9 announced she wasn’t running in the next federal election.

Blois isn’t new to working on ag and rural issues in Ottawa.

He served as parliamentary secretary to both Ministers MacAulay and Hutchings and chaired the House of Commons Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food.

On some bills, Blois wasn’t shy about voting with opposition parties if the legislation made sense for farmers.

In a March 2023 vote on Bill C-234, a Conservative bill which would provide farmers with additional carbon tax exemptions, Blois was one of three Liberals to vote in favour.

Minister MacAulay voted against it.

Blois also supported Bill C-282, which in its original form protects supply management in all future trade negotiations.

That October, Blois introduced Bill C-359 in the House of Commons, which would speed up regulatory approvals for feeds, seeds and pest control products.

It would provide 90-day “provisional registration or approval of feeds, seeds and pest control products that are already approved by two or more trusted jurisdictions,” the bill says.

Multiple members of the Canadian ag sector supported the bill but it didn’t get past the first reading.

Members of Canada’s ag community are pleased to see Blois have the industry’s portfolio in Ottawa.

Dr. Sylvain Charlebois called it “one of the best appointments for the agriculture portfolio in years,” on X.

Multiple industry groups including the Fruit and Vegetable Growers of Canada, the Canadian Agricultural Human Resource Council, and Kyle Larkin, the executive director of Grain Growers of Canada, welcomed Blois to the portfolio and are looking forward to working with the new minister.

Blois may not be the ag minister long before a federal election is called.

Parliament is set to resume on March 24, but political insiders expect Prime Minister Carney to send Canadians to the polls instead.

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.