| Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries | |
| Jurisdiction: | New Brunswick |
| Chief1 Name: | Margaret Johnson |
| Chief1 Position: | Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries |
| Parent Department: | Government of New Brunswick |
| Website: | http://www2.gnb.ca/content/gnb/en/departments/10.html |
The Department of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries is an executive agency of the Government of New Brunswick. It is in charge of the development and support of food production and economic development through such sectors of the economy.
The department was established on March 23, 2000 when Premier Bernard Lord restructured the New Brunswick Cabinet. It was a merger of the former departments of Agriculture and Rural Development and Fisheries & Aquaculture first under the name of the Department of Food Development and later under the name Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture. The creation of this department was very controversial and marked by protests by both farmers and fishers, though primarily farmers, who felt that the new department would not be specialized to adequately address their issues.
When Shawn Graham became Premier on October 3, 2006, he appointed a Minister of Agriculture and Aquaculture and a Minister of Fisheries. On March 2, 2007, a bill disbanding this department and creating a Department of Agriculture and Aquaculture and a Department of Fisheries received royal assent, the bill was retroactive to October 3, 2006. When Graham left office, Alward re-merged the departments under the new name Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries.
| Minister | Term | Administration | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries & Aquaculture | ||||
| 1. | Paul Robichaud | March 23, 2000 – October 9, 2001 | under Bernard Lord | |
| 2. | Rodney Weston | October 9, 2001 – June 27, 2003 | ||
| 3. | David Alward | June 27, 2003 - October 3, 2006 | ||
| Minister of Agriculture & Aquaculture, and Minister of Fisheries | ||||
| see DAA and DOF | October 3, 2006 - October 12, 2010 | under Shawn Graham | ||
| Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture & Fisheries | ||||
| 1. | Michael Olscamp | October 12, 2010 – October 7, 2014 | under David Alward | |
| 2. | Rick Doucet | October 7, 2014 - November 8, 2018 | under Brian Gallant[1] | |
| 3. | Ross Wetmore | November 9, 2018 - September 29, 2020 | under Blaine Higgs[2] | |
| 4. | Margaret Johnson | September 29, 2020 – Present | under Blaine Higgs | |