P.E.I. MP Lawrence MacAulay stays on as Canada's Agriculture Minister

Lawrence MacAulay will maintain a steady hand on the federal government’s agriculture portfolio, as the Trudeau government prepares to head into an election in 2019.

Cardigan MP Lawrence MacAulay was kept on as the federal Minister of Agriculture and Agri-foods, as the Trudeau government announced a significant shake-up of cabinet Wednesday morning. But MacAulay remained modest about the decision of Prime Minister Trudeau to keep him on as the Federal Minister of Agriculture.

"Well, of course, you never realize why you're picked for cabinet. You never realize why you stay in Cabinet but what you do is what you do in any job – do the very best you can,” MacAulay said.

Speaking on a conference call from Vancouver, where he was due to attend a meeting of the provincial Ministers of Agriculture, MacAulay said he would continue to work to increase exports of agricultural goods and to create more opportunities in the farming sector.

"It's pretty humbling to be the Minister of Agriculture at a key time in our history. Working together with my other colleagues in Cabinet and in caucus, we will reach our target of $75 billion of agriculture and agri-food products exported by 2025.”