NFU Mourns the Passing of Eugene Whelan

SASKATOON, SK: The National Farmers Union (NFU) wishes to offer its condolences to the family of Eugene Whelan. When he was Canada’s agriculture minister, Mr. Whelan was unmistakable in his bright green Stetson.

“Just as you knew where he was, you always knew where he stood,” recalled Terry Boehm, NFU President. “Sometimes acting under the constraints of his government in ways that the NFU did not always agree with, Mr. Whelan was nevertheless steadfast in his concern and care about Canada’s farmers,” Boehm commented.

“Farmers were people in his eyes and Mr. Whelan did not see us as just another sector of the economy,” Boehm recalled. “Mr. Whelan worked hard all his life to advance our interests and remained intensely concerned about the negative direction he saw government policy taking during his years serving in the Senate, in Rome and right up until his passing. Mr. Whelan never forgot his humble beginnings in rural Ontario, and he connected with people in an honest, generous and humorous way.”

“It was hard not to like Eugene,” Boehm concluded. “He said what he thought and we respected him for that. He served his country well, and we will all miss him.”

– 30 –

For more information, contact:

Terry Boehm , NFU President: 011-33-1-44-84-72-50 in Paris