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Serving Agriculture:
Canada's Ministers of Agriculture

Horace Andrew (Bud) Olson

Birthplace

Federal Constituency

Education

Professional Background

Political Affiliation

"A man of great civility and intelligence.""
-- Jean Chrétien, speaking about Olson on his appointment as lieutenant-governor of Alberta, 1996

"Farmers regarded the minister and the Department of Agriculture as their champion of everything and if you're a good politician you'd better accept that's the vision they have of you and do something useful for them..."
-- Bud Olson

Political Career

Olson became a Social Credit MP for Medicine Hat in 1957. Although he was defeated in the 1958 election, he won the seat again in 1962 and was re-elected in 1963 and 1965. By 1967, the federal Social Credit party was disintegrating. Though many of Olson's colleagues switched to the Conservatives, former Liberal agriculture minister Harry Hays helped persuade him to sit as a Liberal MP. Always the pragmatist, Olson decided his chances of making a difference with the Liberals, who had no seats in Alberta at the time, were greater than with the Conservatives, who dominated western Canadian seats.

Olson supported Pierre Trudeau's Liberal leadership campaign and was appointed minister of agriculture after winning his first election as a Liberal in 1968. But in the early 1970s, federal Liberal policies were unpopular in Alberta. (Trudeau even asked struggling western farmers "Why should I sell your wheat?") Olson was defeated in the 1972 and 1974 elections.

In 1977, Olson was called to the Senate. He served as opposition House leader in 1979 and government leader from 1982 to 1984. Olson's favourite cabinet portfolio was one he held as a senator--minister of economic and regional development from 1980 to 1984. As one of Trudeau's most powerful ministers, he chaired the cabinet committee on economic development from 1980 to 1983. He was also the minister responsible for the Northern Pipeline Agency from 1980 to 1984. "Selling" the National Energy Policy in his home province was a major political challenge, but he tried to work with oil company representatives on regulatory reforms. A 1982 Maclean's article described him as "low-key, affable, unflappable and shrewd as a fox".

Olson became Alberta's 14th lieutenant-governor in April 1996. Some considered the appointment controversial, but Olson said, "If you want someone to do this well, get a politician".

Industry Issues

In 1969, a special task force studied the challenges and conditions facing farmers and processors and released a report called Canadian Agriculture in the Seventies. Overproduction was a chronic problem with many commodities, and marketing systems were a top priority for policy development. Olson reflects that his role "was a selling job all the time. We had great surpluses of wheat, pork in storage, a mountain of skim milk powder...and we had to get out in the international market and sell it. And that was not easy...other countries also had surpluses and we had to try to get a decent price".

Departmental Developments

Popular ideology suggested a "food systems" approach would be appropriate for planning and co-ordinating government activities. In 1972, the Food Systems Branch was created to "review, evaluate and monitor federal government food programs as they related to the production and marketing of agricultural products". These changes introduced a market-oriented approach to commodity management that included not only primary producers but also processors, distributors, retailers and consumers. The new approach was controversial among some farm organizations, who feared a loss of control over agricultural policies.

The department was actively involved in implementing programs to curtail overproduction, particularly in grains. A grassland incentive program was introduced and research branch scientists sought ways to encourage grain farmers to seed their poorer land to permanent grass. Scientists also tried to find new uses for surplus cereals and identify innovative new crops that could be marketed to both Canadian and world markets.

The size and scope of government activities were restricted for the first time. Some research stations were closed to reduce overhead costs. For example, in 1971 the Institute for Biological Control in Belleville closed and many employees moved to Winnipeg or Regina.

Some research was contracted out to universities or the private sector. This stimulated private sector employment and innovation in areas where the department lacked sufficient resources. Contracts were awarded for solutions to specific problems, which ensured results could be quickly and effectively used in the economy.

Accomplishments as Minister

• Olson oversaw the early and controversial steps towards supply management, including enabling legislation for marketing boards for turkey and chicken. "I tried to persuade farmers that their job was to participate in marketing and not expect someone else to do it for them," says Olson. "Others would only be interested in margins. Farmers needed to be active to get a good price."
• The LIFT (Lower Inventories for Tomorrow) program was introduced to curtail western wheat production and reduce grain surpluses.
• The department revised the Canada Grains Act for the first time in 30 years.
• It also introduced the Small Farms Development Program, which would both help struggling producers and also offer other options to those who wanted to quit farming.