VICTORIA – Courtenay-Comox MLA Ronna-Rae Leonard was designated convener of the Legislative Assembly’s Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food today. This will be the first time the Standing Committee has been convened since 2001.

“It’s a tremendous honour to be designated convener of the provincial agriculture committee,” said Leonard. “Agriculture plays a huge role in my community of Courtenay-Comox, and I’m thrilled to help bring issues that are important to the agricultural community to the forefront.”

MLA Leonard said that while the agriculture committee has been regularly convened since 1901, that ended in 2001, reducing the voice of the agricultural community in the legislature. Today the Standing Orders were amended to establish the Select Standing Committee on Agriculture, Fish and Food, meaning it will be automatically struck at the beginning of each legislative session.

The first priority of the Select Standing Committee will be to examine, inquire into and make recommendations concerning local meat production in British Columbia.

“In the weeks ahead, my colleagues and I will be consulting with people across the province on local, small-scale meat production in B.C.” said Leonard. “The recommendations in our report will inform the ministry’s direction on this issue, and I’m looking forward to working with members of the committee from all three parties to hear ideas for how to strengthen and support agriculture in B.C.”

Other Select Standing Committee members include: Nicholas Simons (Powell River-Sunshine Coast), Rachna Singh (Surrey-Green Timbers), Doug Routley (Nanaimo-North Cowichan), Jackie Tegart (Fraser-Nicola), Donna Barnett (Cariboo-Chilcotin), Mike Morris (Prince George-Mackenzie), Ian Paton (Delta South), and Adam Olsen (Saanich North and the Islands).

MLA Leonard has also been appointed to the Premier’s Rental Housing Task Force, the Cabinet Housing Working Group, and the Select Standing Committees on Children and Youth, and Finance and Government Services.