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Serving Agriculture:
Canada's Ministers of Agriculture

Charles James Mayer

Birthplace

Federal Constituency

Education

Professional Background

Political Affiliation

"I don't think the Canadian consumer/taxpayer is aware of the strength of this industry. We need better salesmanship and communication."
-- Charlie Mayer, 1997

Political Career

Mayer was elected to the House of Commons in 1979, representing Portage-Marquette. He was re-elected in 1980 and 1984 for this riding and in 1988 for the riding of Lisgar-Marquette. As an MP, he worked with Minister of Agriculture John Wise as an advisor on agriculture policy and chaired the Manitoba Progressive Conservative caucus.

Mayer's path to becoming minister of agriculture led him through a variety of junior cabinet positions, all of which dealt with agricultural policy in some way. In 1984, he was appointed minister of state for the Canadian Wheat Board and minister responsible for liaison with Canada's co-operative sector. He changed assignments slightly in 1987 when he was appointed minister of state for grains and oilseeds. In 1989, he added to these responsibilities those of minister responsible for western economic diversification.

In January 1993, Mayer was appointed minister of agriculture, small communities and rural areas. After new prime minister Kim Campbell's cabinet shuffle in June 1993, his position was renamed minister of agriculture and agri-food.

Mayer was defeated in the 1993 federal election. He continues to be active in the agriculture industry and serves as chair of the Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation and on the board of Canada Bread.

Industry Issues

Incorporating agricultural products into the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) required a tremendous amount of work on the part of the department and industry groups. Canadian farmers depended on exports for their prosperity, so trade negotiations were a top priority. Mayer described the goal of the GATT negotiations as ensuring farmers "competed on quality and price, not on the size of their government's treasuries".

Departmental Developments

The mandate of the department was officially revised and expanded to reflect ongoing regulatory and program reviews. At the same time, government spending restraints and a 10-per-cent departmental budget cut necessitated a climate of restraint.

In consultation with industry, the department conducted an extensive regulatory review and revised obsolete regulations. Eight pilot projects found ways to reduce duplication between federal and provincial inspection agencies. The Food Safety Enhancement Program promoted new international standards, known as HACCP (Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points) inspection systems, at federally registered plants. The department reduced its seven branches to five to streamline overhead. It also cut levels of management and launched a regional review to improve service to departmental clients nationwide.

Food inspection activities and personnel formerly under the jurisdiction of the departments of Consumer and Corporate Affairs and Industry, Science and Technology merged with those of the Food Production and Inspection Branch after June 1993. The department was given a new name, Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, to reflect its new emphasis on working with the food industry as well as primary producers.

Accomplishments as Minister

Mayer believed there was too much government regulation in some areas of the industry. He changed grain marketing policy and announced that farmers were free to sell barley outside the Canadian Wheat Board. While this departure from accepted procedure was eventually reversed, at the time it meant that farmers were free to market their products to American clients.

Mayer appointed the Producer Payment Board to recommend ways to transfer grain rail subsidies to farmers. The railways received $520 million annually in Crow Rate benefits. Because the government couldn't afford to invest new money in grain subsidies, it sought alternate means of supporting farmers.

The Canadian Rural Opportunities Initiative provided $25 million over three years for counselling, training and business development assistance for farm families with below-average incomes.

Mayer also worked to update and expand the mandate of the Farm Credit Corporation to include funding for diversified farm operations, value-added processing and part-time producers.