Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs Jeff Leal visited Perth-Wellington last week.
Leal attended the Canadian Dairy Xpo in Stratford and spoke at a campaign event hosted by Stephen McCotter, the riding’s federal Liberal candidate. The campaign event hosted by McCotter was part of his ongoing speaker series relating to riding matters.
McCotter touted agriculture as the “backbone of the economy in Perth-Wellington.”
Leal also emphasized the importance of agriculture as a growing sector in Canada that employs a large number of Canadians. He also stressed the importance of the broader Ontario economy and the cooperation within the province.
Leal stated that Prime Minister Stephen Harper “is putting all his eggs in one basket with focussing on the west, to the detriment of Ontario” and that “there aren’t two Ontarios, there is one,” noting that “healthy urban centres rely on healthy rural centres.”
Leal is the third high-profile Liberal to visit the riding as part of McCotter’s speaker series. Federal environment critic John McKay and Canadian Heritage critic Stephane Dion both visited the riding in January.
