An Ontario government source has confirmed that the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs (OMAFRA) will be abolished following Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet reshuffle. Announced later Thursday.
OMAFRA was created in 1994 when the New Democratic Party government led by Bob Rae merged the agriculture and rural affairs departments to create a new ministry headed by Agriculture Minister Elmer Buchanan.
The provincial Progressive Conservatives will now move forward with two separate ministries: OMAFRA will be split into two separate organisations: The Ministry of Agriculture, Farming and Agribusiness will be led by Minister Rob Flack and will handle all agriculture and food-related matters across the supply chain.
The Ministry of Rural Affairs will be led by Minister Lisa Thompson and will work with rural governments across the province.
Throughout OMAFRA’s 30-year history, the Minister for Agriculture has typically been responsible for both Agriculture and Rural Affairs. Premier Kathleen Wynne broke with that tradition in 2013, taking on responsibility for Agriculture while Rural Affairs was led by Geoff Leal.
Wynne served as agriculture minister for 16 months before handing the job back to Leal in June 2014. Ernie Hardeman took over the reins of OMAFRA after the Ford government came to power in 2018. Hardeman was replaced by Lisa Thompson, who was appointed Ontario’s last Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on June 18, 2021.
