The MP for Winnipeg South Centre passed away on Dec. 12
By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com
Members of Canada’s ag community are paying tribute to the late Jim Carr.
Carr, who served as the Liberal MP for Winnipeg South Centre since 2015, passed away on Dec. 12.
He had been battling multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, since October 2019.
Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau remembers Carr as “not only an esteemed colleague, but also a dear friend,” she said on Twitter. “He was a great MP, a proud Manitoban and a strong advocate for the Prairies. My condolences to his family. I will miss him dearly.”
Since his election in 2015, Carr has held multiple positions while in Ottawa.
Between 2015 and 2018 he was the minister of natural resources, and from 2019 until his passing he served as the special representatives for the prairies.
In between those roles, from 2018 to 2019, Carr was the minister of international trade diversification.
In this position, Carr helped Canada ratify the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership and ensured Canada and the European Union negotiated the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Under CETA, almost 94 per cent of EU tariff lines became duty-free and Canada gained preferential trade advantages with the EU that many competitors don’t have.
Canadian farmers remember Carr for the time he spent with them.
“Sorry to hear the news of the passing of MP (Jim Carr) who had a long battle with cancer,” John Guelly, an Alberta farmer and former chair of the Alberta Canola Producers Commission, said on social media. “He was a very passionate and well-spoken man. We didn’t share the same party colours, but he was still very interested and willing to listen to the concerns of farmers.”
Canada lost a great man in Jim Carr, said Fawn Jackson, chief sustainability officer with Dairy Farmers of Canada.
“I’ll remember our visits about the depth of (Manitoba music) & the best meatloaf recipe & we’ll ALL remember the excellent work you did for Canada’s farmers in some of our hardest times,” she said in a Dec. 12 Twitter post. “I tip my hat to you, RIP on the prairies you loved so deeply.”
Other members of the ag community remember Carr for the way he conducted himself.
“Very sad with the passing of Jim Carr,” Brian Innes, executive director of Soy Canada, said on Twitter. “An amazing individual with vision, compassion and commitment to building Canada. I saw firsthand how he was able to unite people, to advocate for a brighter future for (Canadian agriculture) and to command respect by showing respect. An inspiration.”
A public memorial for Carr will be held on Saturday, Dec. 17 at the Centennial Concert Hall in Winnipeg at 555 Main St. A start time hasn’t been made public yet.