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Serving Agriculture:
Canada's Ministers of Agriculture

William Richard Motherwell

Birthplace

Federal Constituency

Education

Professional Background

Political Affiliation

"Motherwell is not what I call a political farmer. He has been in politics for many years, but during all those years he has always been regarded as a good farmer, even among his neighbours; and this is the acid test."
-- Yorkton, Saskatchewan banker, as quoted in the Country Guide and Nor-West Farmer, 1941

Political Career

Although he was born and educated in Ontario, Motherwell's economic and political roots took hold in the wheat fields of Saskatchewan. He ran unsuccessfully to represent Qu'Appelle North in Northwest Territories assembly in 1894 and 1896. But after the CPR failed to transport prairie wheat to lake ports before freeze-up in 1901, Motherwell founded the Territorial Grain Growers' Association, took the CPR to court, and lobbied for legislation to curb railway and line elevator monopolies. This success led to his election to the Saskatchewan assembly in 1905.

Motherwell was Saskatchewan's first commissioner of agriculture from 1905 to 1909, and its first minister of agriculture from 1909 to 1918. As minister, Motherwell initiated co-operative schemes to manage creameries, grain marketing and hail insurance. He supported research into prairie dry belt cultivation and oversaw the founding of the college of agriculture at the new University of Saskatoon in 1908. Motherwell was also provincial secretary between 1905 and 1912. He served as a member of the assembly almost continuously until his resignation in 1918 over a school language controversy.

Motherwell continued his political career in federal politics. Defeated in a by-election for Assiniboia in 1919, he was elected as MP for Regina from 1921 to 1925 and for Melville from 1925 to 1940. In 1921, Motherwell was the only Liberal MP from Alberta or Saskatchewan and a natural candidate for minister of agriculture, given his experience. He served until 1930, except when the Conservatives held power during the King-Byng constitutional crisis of 1926.

By 1930, the Liberals were in as much trouble as the prairie economy. They lost the 1930 general election, but Motherwell continued to be active in agricultural issues as an opposition MP through the Depression. When he retired in 1940 at age 80, he reflected that his farm took more out of him than politics. He died in Regina in 1943.

Industry Issues

The 1920s brought rapid technological change. But with limited resources, farmers couldn't test new machinery, seeds or techniques without considerable risk. They needed non-partisan departmental research to keep up.

After several years of prairie crop losses, a conference on rust control for wheat was held in September 1924. Researchers from the experimental farms, the National Research Council, and Canadian and American universities co-operated to found the Dominion Rust Research Laboratory at the Manitoba Agricultural College in Winnipeg. New rust-resistant varieties of wheat, oats and other cereals were developed.

After a bountiful harvest in 1928, the Wheat Pool had an excess of wheat to sell. The pool-guaranteed price paid to farmers was no longer competitive on the world market; a market correction was inevitable. Farmers and other businesspeople cancelled orders and cut consumption. Inventories were large and terms of credit came due. The stage was set for an economic downturn--the drought of 1929 only served to make things official.

Departmental Developments

In 1923, the British embargo against Canadian cattle ended, providing new export options for Canadian producers. Departmental veterinarians supervised quarantines and inspections and accompanied the shipments of cattle overseas. To facilitate cattle exports to the United States, Canada adopted a new restricted areas plan to control tuberculosis. Other supervised and accredited herd plans registered cattle free of disease and suitable for breeding and export.

Despite the department's best efforts, foot and mouth disease from the United Kingdom penetrated Canadian livestock. By 1927, rabies also crossed the Canadian border from the United States. Sheep scab, however, was successfully eradicated.

In 1923, bacteriology became a division of the Experimental Farms Service. By 1929, 186 illustration (experimental project) stations were established across Canada.

The Agricultural Economics Branch, formed in 1929, was a first: never before had a government department focused so intently on economics and the integrated management of scientific and financial issues.

The shared field of agriculture policy continued to require federal-provincial co-ordination to maintain quality standards. Federal grading regulations developed for international trade were extended to interprovincial trade by enabling provincial legislation.

Worth Noting

• In 1882, Motherwell became one of the first graduates of the Ontario Agricultural College.
• Motherwell was recommended for the Saskatchewan agriculture portfolio in Premier Walter Scott's cabinet by some of the CPR staff he took to court for mismanagement and monopolistic practices.