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Friday, July 1, 2022

Lisa Thompson returns to Ag. Minister position

BY SHAWN LOUGHLIN

Huron-Bruce MPP Lisa Thompson will again be part of Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet, returning to the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs.


Thompson held the position before last month’s election, but was chosen to return to her role as the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs when Ford announced his new cabinet late last week.


Thompson defeated incumbent Liberal Carol Mitchell (who was also the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs at the time) in 2011. After being re-elected in 2014 and again in 2018, Thompson was made the Minister of Education, a post she would hold for nearly a year before she was shifted to the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services in 2019. As the result of another cabinet shuffle, Thompson replaced Ernie Hardeman as the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs, a position which she held for nearly a year until this year’s election.


“I am very honoured to be reappointed as the Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs and to be able to continue to serve the people,” Thompson said in a press release issued on June 24. “I am committed to continuing our good work to support the province’s agri-food sector and rural Ontario.”


In that press release, Thompson stated that she intends to “inform a collective vision for a strong and vibrant agri-food sector”.
“The success of the agri-food industry and rural Ontario is inextricably linked to growing the agri-food workforce, growing Ontario’s processing capacity, capitalizing on new technologies and innovation, building the right infrastructure in the right place, strengthening the supply chain, supporting local food and reducing red tape while maintaining the highest level of food safety,” the release stated.


Thompson, a native of the Belgrave area, is a graduate of the University of Guelph who worked as both the general manager of the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative and as a rural community advisor for the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs before being elected Huron-Bruce MPP in 2011.