Loretta Robichaud

Loretta Robichaud was appointed Deputy Minister of the Department of Agriculture in July 2020.

Biography

Loretta has more than 30 years of public service experience. Her experience includes leading collaborative partnership initiatives and helping create opportunities for growth in the agriculture and agri-food sector.

Loretta has an undergraduate degree from Humber College and a Bachelor of Science in Agriculture from the Nova Scotia Agricultural College with a major in Biology and a minor in Economics. She has a Master of Public Administration (Management) from Dalhousie University.

Current role

Deputy Minister, Department of Agriculture

The Deputy Minister of the Department of Agriculture provides strategic and operational direction to guide the department. The deputy minister advises the minister on policy. The deputy minister also oversees the implementation of the department’s mandate and monitors the ongoing performance improvement of departmental operations.

Responsibilities include:

  • providing leadership to the department’s senior team
  • implementing the department’s mandate and making sure the department meets its goals
  • overseeing day-to-day operations of the department
  • providing advice and recommendations to the minister and Government of Nova Scotia
  • building relationships with stakeholder groups

Previous roles

  • Deputy Minister, Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Acting Deputy Minister, Department of Agriculture and Department of Fisheries and Aquaculture
  • Executive Director, Agriculture and Food Operations, Department of Agriculture
  • Assistant Deputy Minister, Federal, Provincial and Territorial (FPT) Regulatory Committee (Agriculture)
  • Regional Director, Advisory Services, Department of Agriculture