CLINTON — Gaining a minister’s portfolio was perhaps not the goal when Huron-Bruce MPP Carol Mitchell was first elected in 2003, but it’s “something you hope for,” she said in a recent interview with the Exeter Times-Advocate newspaper.

Mitchell was appointed Ontario’s new Minister of Agriculture, Food and Rural Affairs on Jan. 18, in a wide-ranging cabinet shuffle by Premier Dalton McGuinty.

A backbencher since she first won a seat in provincial parliament, Mitchell did have additional roles as chair of the Ontario Liberal Caucus and as parliamentary assistant to various ministers. Now, she steps to the larger stage, succeeding outgoing Agriculture Minister Leona Dombrowsky.

In the shuffle, Kingston-area MPP Dombrowsky became Minister of Education, while former Toronto District School Board chair Kathleen Wynne moved from Education to Transportation.

“I don’t know whether or not (becoming Minister) was the goal,” Mitchell said in the interview. “To me, my goal was to be as good a member as I could be for Huron-Bruce, and then if the premier felt that I had something to provide at the Cabinet table . . . then certainly you work hard.”

Mitchell said if she could have chosen any ministry to lead, it would be this one.

“I look at what are the two economic drivers in my riding,” she said. “They’re (agriculture) and energy. And . . . there are opportunities in renewable energy through (agriculture) too.”

Mitchell said later in an interview she has worked her entire political career to strengthen rural communities and believes she brings expertise to her new position.

Mitchell acknowledged these are difficult times for both government and farmers, and said one of the key issues for her ministry in the months ahead will be income stabilization for the pork and beef sectors.

She said negotiations at the federal/provincial tables and working with other agriculture ministers around the country will also be of concern.

“We know the challenges that we’re facing right now,” Mitchell added. “We have a deficit; we don’t have the resources we once had. We need to create jobs while moving forward by strengthening our communities in a responsible way environmentally, financially, all of that.

“So those are the challenges. Those are the challenges for every minister right now.”

Mitchell rebuffed the notion that, given the state of the economy, agriculture might not be a key government priority.

“When I was first elected in ’03, we had one minister (from a predominantly rural riding) at the Cabinet table; we now have three,” she said. “We also have a Premier that committed to an ag summit in ’03 and that ag summit is a critical piece, in my mind, of developing policy.

“The premier still is coming to the table, and the ag summit is often where we see things grow from . . . And he commits that time to listening to the ag community. What other ministry has that same level of commitment?”

Mitchell said a key goal as Minister will be dealing with the deficit and strengthening rural communities.

“When I say that, I don’t want anyone to think that I’m not recognizing agriculture,” she said. “Obviously a strong agricultural base is strengthening our rural communities. That’s what we have to do.”