He hopes to become the MP for Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Dan Mazier is leaving his post as president of Keystone Agricultural Producers (KAP) to pursue a career in federal politics.
Mazier, who was first elected president of KAP in 2015, announced his resignation on Friday. He also forfeited his membership on the board of the Canadian Federation of Agriculture.
The 1,000-acre grain farmer from near Justice, Man. wants to become the Member of Parliament for the riding of Dauphin-Swan River-Neepawa.
He hopes to run under the Conservative Party banner. Current Conservative MP Robert Sopuck announced in May that he will not seek re-election next year.
Aligning himself with the Conservative blue was a natural fit because the party is “the best representative when it comes to rural Canada and agriculture,” he told the Brandon Sun yesterday.
Entering the political arena will differ greatly from his work with KAP, Mazier said.
The organization is “non-partisan; that’s the whole credibility of the whole system – we have to work with all governments,” he told The Brandon Sun. “I had to be such a non-partisan, and I did take that seriously. I wasn’t going to belong to a party and have them hold it against me later.”
Despite the differences between being a politician and a lobbyist, Mazier commits to bringing his communication style to the House of Commons.
“I have an ability to get my opinion heard,” he told The Brandon Sun. “You ask anyone around a board table where I’ve sat; they know what I’m thinking, and I won’t sit on my hands.”
As his focus shifts from Manitoba to Ottawa, Mazier reflected on his time as KAP president.
Advocating for the passage of Bill C-49 is a memory he will hold onto for a long time, he said.
“I was really quite fascinated with the whole process at the federal level,” he told Pembina Valley Online Monday. “There's things though, as a provincial farm group, you leave it up to the Canadian Federation of Agriculture, leave it up to a national organization. There's a lot of federal things that impact the riding here ... there's a lot of things that the federal government could step up and help us out with."
KAP’s new president could be named within the next month.
The organization will hold a meeting July 31 to determine how to fill Mazier’s vacancy.
Dan Mazier/KAP photo