Glacier FarmMedia—Former Minister of Agriculture and agriculture leader Charles “Charlie” Mayer has died at age 89.
Born and educated in Saskatchewan, Mayer moved to Manitoba and bought a farm in 1965. In 1979, he was elected to the House of Commons, where he would take on the roles of Minister of Western Economic Diversification, Minister of State for both the Canadian Wheat board and Grains and Oilseeds, and eventually as Minister of Agriculture in 1993.
Mayer was a strong, pragmatic believer in the Canadian Wheat Board and fought for subsidies to help overcome competition from international markets, his citation in the Canadian Agricultural Hall of Fame says. While serving as Minister of State for the board, he travelled the globe to sign trade deals for other countries to import Canadian grains.
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However, Mayer was often at loggerheads with board supporters over its future. He removed oats from the board’s jurisdiction in 1989, saying it would promote more value added processing on the Prairies. He briefly removed barley in 1993. However, that move was successfully challenged in the courts and the crop was reinstated under the single desk.
During his time farming in Manitoba, he became involved with the Manitoba Beef Growers Association and opposed supply management in the sector.
Outside of his political work, Mayer served on the boards of several volunteer agriculture organizations. In 2005, he was inducted into the Canadian Agriculture Hall of Fame.
The Wheat Growers Association paid tribute to Mayer in an April 30 post on X, calling him a “principled leader, passionate advocate and steadfast friend to Canadian agriculture.”
“Charlie served as Minister of Agriculture and held several key roles during his time in public office, championing farmers and fighting for market freedom,” the post read. “He was never in it for praise — he did what he believed was right for our industry.”
—Updated May 2, adds detail to clarify Mayer’s work related to the Canadian Wheat Board
