Mutual interests
15th August 2010 by Andrew Needs, Ottawa | No Comments
This coming week I am going to spend three days visiting Southern Ontario. Wiarton is on Georgian Bay/Bruce Peninsula and the hometown of Federal Member of Parliament, Larry Miller. Larry is Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Agriculture so we are never short of things to discuss when we meet. The Georgian Bay area has a rich farming and tourism tradition so its not surprising that he has lined me up to speak to interest groups in those two sectors. I fully expect to have a two way exchange on issues of mutual interest.
I am also spending some time in and around Kincardine (right on Lake Huron) as the guest of Stan Eby. Stan is President of the Canada Agrifood Trade Alliance (CAFTA) and like Larry has a deep interest in primary production, both as a farmer himself and as head of an organisation with an interest in international trade. One meeting in particular that I am looking forward to is with a group of young farmers, to hear first hand about some of the opportunities and challenges they face and to outline a little of the New Zealand experience.
As it is not the easiest part of Ontario to get to by air, I will be driving down. Plotting out my route reinforces the vastness of Canada. It is the best part of a nine hour drive and I will be traversing just a small corner of Ontario. I will get to see some quintessential Canadian scenery, including the Algonquin Park, where moose are regulars along the side of the road.
