“Today it has been entrusted upon us for the next chapter in New Brunswick’s history,” Higgs said during the ceremony, The Canadian Press reported. “I humbly ask each and every one of you to help me in meeting that responsibility. This cannot be accomplished alone.”
New Brunswick’s new minister of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries is an agribusiness owner.
Ross Wetmore, the MLA for Grand Lake-Gagetown, will be responsible for the province’s agricultural portfolio.
Along with his partner Gerald Kerr, Wetmore opened K &W Quality Meats in 1979. Since then, his business has grown to include a grocery store, butchery, marina and restaurant.
Since entering provincial politics in 2010, Wetmore has served on several committees, including the standing committee on crown corporations and the select committee on cannabis. He was also the official Opposition critic for Tourism, Heritage and Culture and Natural Resources.
Higgs’s party won the provincial election after former premier and Liberal leader Brian Gallant failed to receive the necessary support in a confidence vote last week.
Farms.com has reached out to the Agricultural Alliance of New Brunswick for comment.