Former agriculture minister Eugene Whelan finds there’s no politics like local marina politics.
Eugene Whelan, the town’s best-known political figure, is fuming. ”They stole my signs.”
The same day that his letter criticizing the looming sale of the municipally owned Walter Ranta Marina appeared in The Windsor Star, a protest sign about the same issue was yanked out of his lawn by town staff. ”It’s a mockery of democracy,” said Whelan, often remembered as perhaps the most-loved agriculture minister Canada ever had. His wife Liz witnessed the early morning heist…
By e-mail, town administrator Pam Malott said a student employee had misunderstood instructions to remove only the protest signs left on the marina property on the outskirts of town.
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Is your opinion that he was "the most-loved agriculture minister Canada ever had" due to the fact he was a Trudeau Liberal?
It is Gary Rennie's opinion that Whelan was "most-loved agriculture minister Canada ever had" not Wherry's.
I think the most-loved bit should say most-loved in Windsor/Essex. I don't believe all that many Canadians have thoughts on who their favourite agri minsiter is or any minister other than PM or Finance for that matter.
From Whelan's citation as an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1987: "During his many years as Minister of Agriculture, "The Great Canadian Farmer" turned Canada into a country known the world over for the efficient production of top-quality food. As former President of the World Food Council and more recently as a businessman, he has devoted himself to the cause of worldwide hunger through long-term agricultural improvement in developing countries." I don't know if there is such a thing as a most loved Ag Minister. But surely we can all be grown up enough to talk about him without resorting to Trudeau-bashing antics, hmmm?
He claims a visit by Gorbachev as the USSR agriculture minister to be a formative moment in his development of Glasnost.
There's a piece about that.
I always thought the turning point in the Cold War / development of Glasnost-Perestroika was when Gorbachev came here, visited a farm in the West, toured it with the farmer, admired its vast expanse, and finally said (as a good Communist), "I'd like to meet the workers." Farmer: "There are no workers, just me and the wife." I.e. our productivity was through the roof by Soviet standards, and Gorbachev heard the footsteps of economic doom.
No matter where you stand in politics, Eugene Whelan was a far better, classier Minsiter of Agriculture than the immature Gerry Ritz. I suspect, Dakota, your blind devotion to your CPC will prevent you from conceding that point but, I don't think these two are even in the same ballpark… I'd also add that farmers across Canada could appreciate and relate to Mr. Whelan far more than Ritz.
The people of Windsor/Essex know this and will always be thankful for Mr. Whelan (this Ranta Marina issue is one more reason). His defence of the people of Windsor/Essex has always been unflappable.
(as I am much less partisan than yourself Dakota, I will go so far as to say that Susan Whelan did not once get elected on her own accord – her name had much more to do with it…)
Way to throw a student under the bus town administrator Pam Malott.
Local marina politics are vicious precisely because the stakes are so small.
They should use bigger stakes – it would make stealing signs more difficult. Badumpbump!
Heh.
Classy? Not.
Eugene once said "The reason Aficians are so dumb is they don't where hats".
always interested when I don't know words — please tell what is an Afician?
One who is absent his/her normal complement of ficians – which is one.
African?