Elmer Buchanan was a cabinet minister in the government of Bob Rae.
16 Facts About Elmer Buchanan
1.
2.
Elmer Buchanan was born in Havelock, Ontario and raised on a farm in Belmont Township where his family has lived since 1834.
3.
Elmer Buchanan studied at Queen's University where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree, and has a certificate from Teacher's College in Peterborough County.
4.
Elmer Buchanan worked as a high-school teacher in Hastings County, and was vice-principal of North Hastings High School for four years.
5.
Elmer Buchanan helped form the NDP association in Hastings in 1972.
6.
The NDP won a majority government under Bob Rae in the provincial election of 1990, and Elmer Buchanan defeated Jim Pollock by 896 votes.
7.
Elmer Buchanan was named Minister of Agriculture and Food on October 1,1990, and held this position for the entirety of the Rae government.
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Elmer Buchanan was one of the most successful ministers in the Rae government, and was widely praised for his handling of the agriculture portfolio.
9.
Elmer Buchanan stabilized funding to many rural centres in 1994, and was a supporter of fuel ethanol throughout his time in government.
10.
Elmer Buchanan promoted a rural investment pool, and extended unionization rights to farm workers while ensuring that farms with fifty or fewer employees would not be affected.
11.
Elmer Buchanan lost to Progressive Conservative Harry Danford by almost 8,000 votes, amid a provincial majority for the Progressive Conservative Party.
12.
Elmer Buchanan initially considered running for the leadership of the NDP in 1996, but declined.
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Elmer Buchanan was instead elected as treasurer of the Ontario NDP, and set tough targets for eliminating the party's post-1995 debt.
14.
Elmer Buchanan served as a vice-president on the party's executive, and became a board member of the Children's Aid Society.
15.
In 2008, Elmer Buchanan was named Acting Chair of the Ontario Farm Products Marketing Commission.
16.
On October 11,2013 Elmer Buchanan was appointed Board Chair of the Ontario Racing Commission.