Ernie Hardeman (born December 4, 1947) is a Canadian

politician A politician is a person active in party politics, or a person holding or seeking an elected office in government. Politicians propose, support, reject and create laws that govern the land and by an extension of its people. Broadly speaking, a ...

who served as Ontario Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs from 2018 to 2021 in the

Doug Ford Douglas Robert Ford Jr. (born November 20, 1964) is a Canadian politician and businessman who has served as the 26th and current premier of Ontario since June 2018 and leader of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party since March 2018. He ...

government and as Minister of Agriculture and Food from 1999 to 2001 in the

Mike Harris Michael Deane Harris (born January 23, 1945) is a Canadian retired politician who served as the 22nd premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2002 and leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario (PC Party) from 1990 to 2002. During his time ...

government. He represents the rural riding of

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

for the Progressive Conservative Party.

Background

Hardeman was the owner and operator of ''Hardeman Feed Limited'', established in

Salford, Ontario South-West Oxford is a township (Canada), township in the Canada, Canadian province of Ontario, located within Oxford County, Ontario, Oxford County. The township had a population of 7,664 in the 2016 Canadian census. A predominantly rural municip ...

from 1966 to 1995. Hardeman's nephew,

John Vanthof John Vanthof (born ) is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a Ontario New Democratic Party, New Democratic member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario who was elected in 2011 Ontario general election, 2011. He represents the riding of Timis ...

, is a current sitting MPP for the New Democratic Party and behind his uncle in the legislature.

Politics

He served as

Mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...

of the Township of Southwest Oxford from 1988 to 1994. He was chair of the ''Wardens' Association of Ontario'' in 1990–91, and served as a board member on the Association of Municipalities of Ontario. Hardeman was elected to the Ontario legislature in the provincial election of 1995, defeating incumbent

New Democrat New Democrats, also known as centrist Democrats, Clinton Democrats, or moderate Democrats, are a centrist ideological faction within the Democratic Party in the United States. As the Third Way faction of the party, they are seen as cultural ...

Kimble Sutherland Kimble Sutherland (born May 15, 1966) is former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a New Democratic Party member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 1995. Background He first became active in politics in 1981, when he joine ...

by about 8000 votes. The Progressive Conservatives under

won the election, and Hardeman was a government

backbench In Westminster and other parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a member of parliament (MP) or a legislator who occupies no governmental office and is not a frontbench spokesperson in the Opposition, being instead simply a member of the " ...

supporter for the next four years. In 1996, he was commissioned by the government to conduct a survey on the possible amalgamation of

Hamilton, Ontario Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Hamilton has a population of 569,353, and its census metropolitan area, which includes Burlington and Grimsby, has a population of 785,184. The city is approximately southwest of T ...

into a united municipality. He was easily re-elected in the 1999 provincial election. He was appointed to cabinet by

as Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on June 17, 1999. As Minister, he replaced agricultural offices with the Agricultural Information Contact Centre. He was removed from cabinet on February 7, 2001. On February 25, 2003, he returned to cabinet under

Ernie Eves Ernest Larry Eves (born June 17, 1946) is a Canadian lawyer and former politician who served as the 23rd premier of Ontario from 2002 to 2003. A Progressive Conservative, he took over the premiership upon Mike Harris's resignation as party leade ...

in the new position of Associate Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, with Responsibility for Rural Affairs. Hardeman was re-elected in the 2003 election. He supported

Jim Flaherty James Michael Flaherty (December 30, 1949 – April 10, 2014) was a Canadian politician who served as the federal minister of finance from 2006 to 2014 under Conservative Prime Minister Stephen Harper. First elected to the Legislative Assembly ...

's unsuccessful bid for the Progressive Conservative party's leadership in 2004. On June 13, 2005 Hardeman's private members bill, ''Farm Implements Amendment Act'', received third reading and royal assent. In 2007 Hardeman was re-elected for a fourth consecutive term. He served as Deputy House Leader and was then promoted to Chair of the Standing Committee on Government Agencies. He is also the PC critic for Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs. On June 16, 2008 Hardeman introduced a private member's bill which allows farmers to post seasonal, directional signage along provincial highways to advertise their Ontario grown produce and direct consumers to the farm. The bill was supported by many agricultural groups and unanimously passed first, second and third reading. On December 10, 2008 ''Signage to Promote Ontario Produced Agricultural Products Act'' received royal assent and became law.

Electoral record

Cabinet positions

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Hardeman, Ernie 1947 births Living people Mayors of places in Ontario Members of the Executive Council of Ontario People from Oxford County, Ontario Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario MPPs 21st-century Canadian politicians