MacAulay seeks 10th re-election

Dec 19, 2018

Federal ag minister is one of the longest serving MPs in the House of Commons

By Kate Ayers
Staff Writer
Farms.com

Lawrence MacAulay, Canada’s ag minister, will run in next year’s election looking to extend his 30-year career in politics.

The minister is one of Canada’s longest-serving members of Parliament (MP), an iPolitics article said on Monday.

MacAulay, 72, is a retired dairy and seed-potato farmer. His political career began on Nov. 21, 1988 when elected as Prince Edward Island’s premier. Since then, MacAulay has been the MP for the Cardigan riding for 30 years, the article said.

This re-election streak has earned MacAulay the feat of being the longest-serving MP from P.E.I and he is a well-known face in the House of Commons.

Indeed, next year will be his tenth term, if re-elected, the article said.

The longest consecutive term record for an MP is 41 years and two-and-a-half months, held by Sir Wilfrid Laurier. Laurier was Canada’s first francophone prime minister, the article said.

MacAulay has been Canada’s minister of ag since Oct. 2015. In addition to this position, he has served as minister of state for veterans, labour minister and solicitor general, the article said.

As the ag minister, MacAulay is responsible for Canada’s Agricultural Review Tribunal, the Canadian Dairy Commission, Canadian Food Inspection Agency, Farm Credit Canada and Farm Products Council of Canada, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s website said.

The minister was born on Sept. 9, 1946 in St. Peter’s Bay, P.E.I. He married Frances Elaine O’Connell in 1972 and the couple has three children: Carolyn, Rita and Lynn, the website said.

Throughout his political career, MacAulay has dealt with many significant events involving Canada and countries around the world, including 9/11 in Sept. 2001 and the recent signing of the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

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.