James Bezan
Encyclopedia
James Bezan is a Canadian
politician. In 2004, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
as a Conservative
.
Bezan attended Olds College
in Alberta
(on a basketball
scholarship), where he majored in livestock technology and received a degree in Agricultural Production. Bezan worked in the livestock and cattle industries in the 1980s and 1990s, and started his own company in 1996. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Cattle Producer's Association and has sat on numerous boards in the fields of cattle and food production. After the start of the BSE
crisis in 2003, Bezan was hired as a crop adjuster and sales assistant with the Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation. He also operates a family farm near Teulon
, Manitoba.
The Canadian federal election of 2004 was Bezan's first venture into politics. He was elected in the riding of Selkirk—Interlake
, which has usually supported right-of-centre candidates in recent decades. He took about 47% of the vote, enough to defeat his Liberal
and NDP
rivals.
In opposition Bezan served on the executive of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, and as Associate Agriculture Critic. Bezan was re-elected in the Canadian federal election of 2006. In the 39th Parliament, Bezan was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Chair of the Canadian Section of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA). The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food re-elected Bezan as Chair for the second session of the 39th Parliament. Bezan also serves on the House of Commons Liaison Committee and the Joint Inter-Parliamentary Council.
Bezan is an opponent of the Canadian Wheat Board
's single-desk marketing powers, and has said that making the board voluntary would not necessarily damage its integrity. In a 2006 interview, he said that under proposed Conservative reforms, grain producers would have to make a commitment each year before planting as to whether or not they would market through the CWB.
Bezan authored a private members bill allowing Canada's official recognition of the Holodomor
, the Ukrainian famine instigated by Soviet policy. The bill passed quickly and received Royal Assent.
Bezan is also an opponent of the Canadian gun registry
and voted against same-sex marriage.
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
politician. In 2004, he was elected to the Canadian House of Commons
Canadian House of Commons
The House of Commons of Canada is a component of the Parliament of Canada, along with the Sovereign and the Senate. The House of Commons is a democratically elected body, consisting of 308 members known as Members of Parliament...
as a Conservative
Conservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
.
Bezan attended Olds College
Olds College
Olds College is an Alberta public post-secondary institution located in Olds, Alberta, established in 1913 as Olds Agricultural College. The College opened its first satellite campus in Calgary in 2006 in partnership with the Calgary Stampede Board....
in Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
(on a basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
scholarship), where he majored in livestock technology and received a degree in Agricultural Production. Bezan worked in the livestock and cattle industries in the 1980s and 1990s, and started his own company in 1996. He served as Chief Executive Officer of the Manitoba Cattle Producer's Association and has sat on numerous boards in the fields of cattle and food production. After the start of the BSE
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy
Bovine spongiform encephalopathy , commonly known as mad-cow disease, is a fatal neurodegenerative disease in cattle that causes a spongy degeneration in the brain and spinal cord. BSE has a long incubation period, about 30 months to 8 years, usually affecting adult cattle at a peak age onset of...
crisis in 2003, Bezan was hired as a crop adjuster and sales assistant with the Manitoba Crop Insurance Corporation. He also operates a family farm near Teulon
Teulon, Manitoba
Teulon is a community located approximately 60 kilometers north of Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, on Provincial Truck Highway 7. Located between Stonewall and Gimli, Teulon is commonly referred to as "The Gateway to the Interlake" and "The Petunia Capital of Manitoba"...
, Manitoba.
The Canadian federal election of 2004 was Bezan's first venture into politics. He was elected in the riding of Selkirk—Interlake
Selkirk—Interlake
Selkirk—Interlake is a federal electoral district in Manitoba, Canada, that has been represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1976 to 1987, and since 1997....
, which has usually supported right-of-centre candidates in recent decades. He took about 47% of the vote, enough to defeat his Liberal
Liberal Party of Canada
The Liberal Party of Canada , colloquially known as the Grits, is the oldest federally registered party in Canada. In the conventional political spectrum, the party sits between the centre and the centre-left. Historically the Liberal Party has positioned itself to the left of the Conservative...
and NDP
New Democratic Party
The New Democratic Party , commonly referred to as the NDP, is a federal social-democratic political party in Canada. The interim leader of the NDP is Nycole Turmel who was appointed to the position due to the illness of Jack Layton, who died on August 22, 2011. The provincial wings of the NDP in...
rivals.
In opposition Bezan served on the executive of the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, and as Associate Agriculture Critic. Bezan was re-elected in the Canadian federal election of 2006. In the 39th Parliament, Bezan was elected Chair of the Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food, and Chair of the Canadian Section of the Inter-Parliamentary Forum of the Americas (FIPA). The Standing Committee on Agriculture and Agri-Food re-elected Bezan as Chair for the second session of the 39th Parliament. Bezan also serves on the House of Commons Liaison Committee and the Joint Inter-Parliamentary Council.
Bezan is an opponent of the Canadian Wheat Board
Canadian Wheat Board
The Canadian Wheat Board was established by the Parliament of Canada on 5 July 1935 as a mandatory producer marketing system for wheat and barley in Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and a small part of British Columbia...
's single-desk marketing powers, and has said that making the board voluntary would not necessarily damage its integrity. In a 2006 interview, he said that under proposed Conservative reforms, grain producers would have to make a commitment each year before planting as to whether or not they would market through the CWB.
Bezan authored a private members bill allowing Canada's official recognition of the Holodomor
Holodomor
The Holodomor was a man-made famine in the Ukrainian SSR between 1932 and 1933. During the famine, which is also known as the "terror-famine in Ukraine" and "famine-genocide in Ukraine", millions of Ukrainians died of starvation in a peacetime catastrophe unprecedented in the history of...
, the Ukrainian famine instigated by Soviet policy. The bill passed quickly and received Royal Assent.
Bezan is also an opponent of the Canadian gun registry
Canadian gun registry
The Canadian Firearms Registry is part of the Firearms Act and is managed by the Canadian Firearms Program of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police . It requires the registration of all guns in Canada. It was introduced by the Liberal government of Prime Minister Jean Chrétien and implemented by...
and voted against same-sex marriage.