Eugene Whelan

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Eugene Francis "Gene" Whelan Template:Post-nominals Template:Post-nominals (11 July 1924 – 19 February 2013) was a Canadian politician, sitting in the House of Commons from 1962 to 1984, and in the Senate from 1996 to 1999. He was also Minister of Agriculture under Pierre Trudeau from 1972 to 1984, and became one of Canada's best-known politicians.<ref name = "CPbio">Template:Cite news</ref> During his career, he would meet Queen Elizabeth II, help Canada beat U.S. president Richard Nixon to the punch in "opening up" China, and play a catalyzing role in the fall of the Iron Curtain and the end of the Cold War.<ref name = "Wilhelm">Template:Cite web</ref> In an editorial immediately following his death, the Windsor Star said:

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Whelan was always known as a die hard Liberal. He loved to boast,

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When he announced that he was running for the Liberal leadership in 1984, he said:

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Early years

Eugene Whelan was born in Amherstburg, Ontario,<ref name="parl"/> the middle of nine children born to Irish-Canadian farmers Charles B. Whelan and Frances L. Kelly.<ref name = "MartinObit">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name = "WSobit">Template:Cite web</ref> He was educated in Windsor and Walkerville. At 16, Whelan quit school and worked for a time as a welder and tool and die maker<ref name = "MartinObit" /> before returning to farming.<ref name = "Torstar-funeral">Template:Cite web</ref>

In 1960, Whelan married Elizabeth Pollinger and they had a family. One daughter went into politics (see Family below). His brother Edward Charles Whelan made his life in Saskatchewan. He also went into politics, being elected and serving in the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan.

Political career

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Whelan (centre), pictured with fellow MPs Herb Gray and Paul Martin in 1962.

Whelan entered municipal politics at age 21<ref name = "Wilhelm" /> and surprisingly won an election to the separate school board of Anderdon Township,<ref name = "Torstar-funeral" /> which administered Catholic schools. He was next elected as councillor and eventually reeve of the township council,<ref name="parl"/> becoming warden of the Essex County council in 1962.<ref name="johnson">Template:Cite book</ref> He ran unsuccessfully for a seat in the Ontario assembly in 1959.

During that time, he supported himself as a farmer and became active in farm issues and groups. He became a director and president of the Harrow Farmer's Co-operative, served on the boards of United Co-operatives of Ontario and the Co-operators Insurance Company, and was a founding member of the Ontario Wheat Producers' Marketing Board and the Ontario Federation of Agriculture.<ref name = "CAHF" />

Whelan first won a seat in the House of Commons in the 1962 election, representing the southwestern Ontario riding of Essex, and held it until his retirement in 1984.<ref name="parl">Template:Canadian Parliament links</ref> Whelan ran to succeed Trudeau at the 1984 Liberal leadership convention, but came in last.<ref name = "CBCobit" /> In 1996, Whelan was appointed to the Senate by Jean Chrétien, and served in the chamber until he reached the mandatory retirement age of 75 in 1999.<ref name="parl"/>

Minister of Agriculture

In 1972, Whelan was appointed as Minister of Agriculture in the cabinet of Pierre Trudeau, and held the position until Trudeau's retirement in 1984, except during the 1979-1980 Joe Clark government.<ref name="parl"/>

He once recalled a time when his qualifications for Minister were questioned: Template:Blockquote

As Minister, Whelan promoted the extension of national marketing boards Template:Emdash first implemented with the creation of the Canadian Dairy Commission in 1970 Template:Emdash to eggs in 1972, turkey in 1974, and chicken in 1978.<ref name = "AFExpress">Template:Cite web</ref> These were placed under the supervision of the National Farm Products Council. For those commodities not under supply management, he fought to maintain a level playing field in world markets at a time when other countries strongly subsidized such products. He was successful in getting the Canadian government to increase its support for farmers, through amendments to the Agricultural Stabilization Act<ref>Agricultural Stabilization Act, R.S.C. 1970, c. A-9, as amended by S.C. 1974-75-76, c. 63</ref><ref name = "FIPA">since replaced by the Farm Income Protection Act, S.C. 1991, c. 22</ref> and the introduction of the Western Grain Stabilization Act.<ref name = "AFExpress" /><ref name = "FIPA" /><ref>Western Grain Stabilization Act, S.C. 1974-75-76, c. 87</ref> In 1977, the Advance Payments for Crops Act was passed,<ref>Advance Payments for Crops Act, now R.S.C., 1985, c. C-49</ref> which guaranteed loans to producers requiring advance payments for perishable crops. He opened markets in the Soviet Union for Canadian wheat, and established legislation to protect fruit and vegetable growers from processor bankruptcies.<ref name = "CAHF" /> He also restricted the powers of the Canadian Wheat Board, allowing private-sector feed grain trading and inter-provincial movement of feed.<ref name = "AFExpress" />

Whelan's English was rough-hewn, and his French was non-existent. He openly acknowledged this, exclaiming: Template:Blockquote

Whelan was one of Pierre Trudeau's best constitutional campaigners. However, in 1976 angry Quebec dairy farmers threw diluted milk on Whelan after cabinet refused to approve dairy subsidies to compensate farmers in a collapsed world market. Whelan said this refusal contributed to the success of the Parti Québécois in rural ridings that fall.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

His green stetson hat became well-known and Whelan was seen as an ardently vociferous advocate for the agricultural sector, with a habit for plain-spokenness (which occasionally got him in trouble).<ref name="eggs">Template:Cite news</ref> In response to complaints voiced over the cost of food, when he wanted to stress the average farmer's narrow profit margin, he said:

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Catalyst for Russian perestroika

During his last term as Minister of Agriculture, Whelan became good friends with Aleksandr Yakovlev, then the USSR's Ambassador to Canada, as both men were ardent agriculturalists. The relationship became so close that Pierre Trudeau called him in to get assurance that Whelan had not divulged any national secrets, as the minister was a member of the Cabinet defence committee.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> When Mikhail Gorbachev, then Soviet Minister of Agriculture, came to Canada in 1983, Yakovlev connected Gorbachev with Whelan, who arranged a three-week tour across Canada for both Soviet officials, accompanied personally by Whelan.

In 2013 Jean Chrétien recalled Whelan introducing Gorbachev to Canadian life when the tour came to Windsor:

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At the end of that tour, the Whelans hosted a farewell reception for Gorbachev at their Amherstburg home on the evening of 19 May 1983. Whelan was delayed in arriving. In what has since been called "the walk that changed the world", Yakovlev and Gorbachev walked in a nearby orchard, strolled among saplings and past fields of corn, soy and wheat, had an earnest discussion, and resolved that the old ways in the USSR had to end.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

According to Yakovlev, this was where perestroika was born, with 80% of its features discussed while visiting Whelan's farm.<ref name = "Wilhelm" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>

In an interview years later, Yakovlev recalled: Template:Blockquote

Broadcasting

Whelan was once host of the Agricultural Hour on CFRA in Ottawa.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

International appointments

He served as president of the United Nations World Food Council from 1983 to 1985.<ref name = "CPbio" /> Whelan was appointed as Canadian ambassador to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in Rome. Progressive Conservative Party of Canada leader Brian Mulroney promised to rescind the appointment if he became Prime Minister. Mulroney won the 1984 election, and recalled Whelan as one of his first acts of office.<ref name = "CPbio" />

Whelan also actively participated in the Agri-Energy Roundtable (AER), an international non-governmental organization which forged a dialogue between food-surplus and energy-surplus nations, their private sectors, and multilateral agencies. Working with US Senator Jennings Randolph (D-WV) - a noted humanitarian- and Lord Walston of the United Kingdom and others, Whelan helped the AER to gain United Nations recognition in 1985. Whelan joined AER's Committee of Honor and rose to become AER's vice chairman. As such he presided at a number of international conferences in the late 1980s.

Honours

Family

Whelan and his wife Elizabeth had three daughters. Susan Whelan went into politics and was elected to the House of Commons in 1993 in her father's old riding. In 2001 she was appointed as Minister of International Trade in Chrétien's cabinet. She was dropped from Cabinet with the change of administrations when Paul Martin became prime minister.<ref>Template:Canadian Parliament links</ref>

Death and funeral

He died at his home in Amherstburg on February 19, 2013, following complications from heart disease and colon cancer.<ref name = "MartinObit" /><ref name = "CBCobit">Template:Cite news</ref> His funeral was held on February 23, 2013, at St. John The Baptist Church in Amherstburg, and he was buried in the church cemetery. Jean Chrétien, Herb Gray and Remo Mancini were among the people that gave eulogies at the service.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Electoral record

Essex South

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Essex-Windsor

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Archives

There is a Eugene F. Whelan fonds at Library and Archives Canada.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

References

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Further reading

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