Sometime over the Parliamentary Christmas break we will have a cabinet shuffle if for no other reason than all the Conservative sources I have spoken to seem to agree that John Baird cannot continue to be Environment Minister and Government House Leader (and chair, incidentally, of the powerful cabinet operations committee, a chairmanship once held by Jim Prentice). I do not believe Baird will leave the job of House Leader but no one knows for sure except for Harper, his current chief of staff Guy Giorno and the guy who replaces Giorno on Jan 1, Nigel Wright.
In anticipation of some gossip on this subject, I've tried to put together a brief history of Harper's cabinet shuffles. I'm sure there's the odd error here and would be grateful to be notified of any.
February 2, 2006
First ministry of Stephen Harper's government is sworn in. Just two ministers have held the same job ever since then. Jim Flaherty has always been Harper's Minister of Finance and Senator Marjory LeBreton has always been the Government House Leader in the Senate.
- JUSTICE – Vic Toews
- LABOUR – Jean-Pierre Blackburn
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF QUEBEC – Jean-Pierre Blackburn
- GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER – Rob Nicholson
- DEMOCRATIC REFORM – Rob Nicholson
- AGRICULTURE – Chuck Strahl
- INDIAN AFFAIRS – Jim Prentice
- FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Peter MacKay
- DEFENCE – Gordon O'Connor
- TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE and COMMUNITIES – Lawrence Cannon
- ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY – Peter MacKay
- PUBLIC SAFETY – Stockwell Day
- INTERNATIONAL TRADE – David Emerson
- PUBLIC WORKS – Michael Fortier
- ENVIRONMENT – Rona Ambrose
- HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT – Diane Finley
- CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION – Monte Solberg
- HERITAGE – Bev Oda
- STATUS OF WOMEN – Bev Oda
- FISHERIES – Loyola Hearn
- NATURAL RESOURCES – Gary Lunn
- TREASURY BOARD – John Baird
- HEALTH – Tony Clement
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGES – Josée Verner
- INDUSTRY – Maxime Bernier
- NATIONAL REVENUE – Carol Skelton
- VETERANS AFFAIRS – Greg Thompson
November 26, 2006
Chong resigns
- INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS – Michael Chong out. Peter Van Loan in.
- PRESIDENT OF THE PRIVY COUNCIL – Michael Chong out. Peter Van Loan in.
Mini-shuffle.
- JUSTICE – Vic Toews out. Rob Nicholson named minister.
- TREASURY BOARD – John Baird out. Vic Toews named President.
- GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER – Rob Nicholson out. Peter Van Loan in.
- DEMOCRATIC REFORM – Rob Nicholson out. Peter Van Loan in.
- INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS. – Peter Van Loan out. Rona Ambrose named minister.
- PRESIDENT OF THE QUEEN'S PRIVY COUNCIL – Peter Van Loan out. Rona Ambrose named minister
- WESTERN ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION – Carol Skelton out. Rona Ambrose named minister
- ENVIRONMENT – Rona Ambrose out. John Baird named minister
- HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT – Diane Finley out. Monte Solberg named minister.
- CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION – Monte Solberg out. Diane Finley named minister.
- ENVIRONMENT – Rona Ambrose out. John Baird named Minister.
Mini-shuffle prompted partly by resignation from politics of MP Carol Skelton
- AGRICULTURE – Chuck Strahl out. Gerry Ritz named minister.
- INDIAN AFFAIRS – Jim Prentice out. Chuck Strahl named minister.
- FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Peter MacKay out. Maxime Bernier named minister.
- HERITAGE – Bev Oda out. Josée Verner named minister.
- STATUS OF WOMEN – Bev Oda out. Josée Verner named minister.
- INDUSTRY – Maxime Bernier out. Jim Prentice named Minister.
- NATIONAL DEFENCE – Gordon O'Connor out. Peter MacKay named minister
- NATIONAL REVENUE – Carol Skelton out. Gordon O'Connor named minister
- INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION – Bev Oda named minister.
- HERITAGE – Josée Verner named minister.
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGES – Josée Verner named minister.
- STATUS OF WOMEN – Josée Verner named minister.
- SECRETARY OF STATE SMALL BUSINESS AND TOURISM – Diane Ablonczy named secretary of state.
May 27, 2008
Prompted by resignation of Maxime Bernier from foreign affairs Portfolio
- FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Maxime Bernier out. David Emerson named Minister.
Micro-shuffle to lighten David Emerson's workload.
- PUBLIC WORKS – Michael Fortier out. Christian Paradis named minister.
- INTERNATIONAL TRADE – David Emerson out. Michael Fortier named Minister.
October 30, 2008
First cabinet to be sworn in after the 2008 Federal Election
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR AGRICULTURE – Christian Paradis out. Jean-Pierre Blackburn named minister of state.
- NATIONAL REVENUE – Gordon O'Connor out. Jean-Pierre Blackburn named minister.
- ASIA-PACIFIC GATEWAY – Stockwell Day named minister.
- HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT – Monte Solberg out. Diane Finley named Minister.
- LABOUR – Jean-Pierre Blackburn out. Rona Ambrose named minister.
- FOREIGN AFFAIRS – David Emerson out. Lawrence Cannon named minister.
- INTERNATIONAL TRADE – Michael Fortier out. Stockwell Day named minister.
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR NATIONAL CAPITAL COMMISSION – Lawrence Cannon named Minister of State.
- TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES – Lawrence Cannon out. John Baird named minister.
- INDUSTRY – Jim Prentice out. Tony Clement named minister
- INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS – Rona Ambrose out. Josée Verner named minister
- PRESIDENT OF THE QUEEN'S PRIVY COUNCIL – Rona Ambrose out. Josée Verner named president.
- CANADIAN WHEAT BOARD – Gerry Ritz named Minister.
- CITIZENSHIP, IMMIGRATION AND MULTICULTURALISM – Diane Finley out. Jason Kenney named Minister.
- OFFICIAL LANGUAGES – Josée Verner out. James Moore named Minister.
- CANADIAN HERITAGE – Josée Verner out. James Moore named Minister
- HEALTH – Tony Clement out. Leona Aglukkaq named minister
- FISHERIES AND OCEANS – Loyola Hearn out. Gail Shea named Minister.
- ENVIRONMENT – John Baird out. Jim Prentice named Minister.
- NATURAL RESOURCES – Gary Lunn out. Lisa Raitt named minister
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR SPORT – Gary Lunn named minister of state for sport.
- MINISTER OF STATE AND CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP – Gordon O'Connor named whip.
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR TRANSPORT – Rob Merrifield named Minister of state
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR WESTERN ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION – Lynne Yelich named Minister of State
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR DEMOCRATIC REFORM – Steven Fletcher named minister of state
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY FOR THE REGIONS OF QUEBEC – Jean-Pierre Blackburn out. Denis Lebel named minister of state
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR FOREIGN AFFAIRS – Peter Kent named minister of state.
- MINISTER OF STATE FOR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY – Gary Goodyear named minister of state
August, 2009
New federal economic development agencies were created and that means someone's got to be in charge of them.
- FEDERAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY OF SOUTHERN ONTARIO – Gary Goodyear named minister
- CANADIAN NORTHERN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT AGENCY – Chuck Strahl named minister
Cabinet shuffle prompted in part by the resignation of MP Greg Thompson from politics.
- VETERANS AFFAIRS – Greg Thompson out. Jean-Pierre Blackburn named minister
- TREASURY BOARD – Vic Toews out. Stockwell Day named President
- PUBLIC SAFETY – Peter Van Loan out. Vic Toews named Minister
- PUBLIC WORKS AND GOVERNMENT SERVICES – Christian Paradis out. Rona Ambrose named minister
- INTERNATIONAL TRADE – Stockwell Day out. Peter Van Loan named minister.
- NATURAL RESOURCES – Lisa Raitt out. Christian Paradis named minister.
- LABOUR – Rona Ambrose out. Lisa Raitt named Minister
- ATLANTIC GATEWAY – Peter MacKay out. Keith Ashfield named minister.
- NATIONAL REVENUE – Jean-Pierre Blackburn out. Keith Ashfield named minister
- ATLANTIC CANADA OPPORTUNITIES AGENCY – Peter MacKay out. Keith Ashfield named minister.
- MINISTER OF STATE – SENIORS – Marjory LeBreton out. Diane Ablonczy named Minister of State.
- MINISTER OF STATE SMALL BUSINESS AND TOURISM – Ablonczy out. Rob Moore named Minister of State.
April 9, 2010
MP Helena Guergis leaves Cabinet, is suspended from Conservative caucus
- STATUS OF WOMEN – Helena Guergis out. Rona Ambrose named Minister of State for Status of Women
B.C. MP and Government House Leader Jay Hill resigns from politics prompting mini-shuffle.
- TRANSPORT, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES – John Baird out. Chuck Strahl named minister
- GOVERNMENT HOUSE LEADER – Jay Hill out. John Baird named House Leader
- INDIAN AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS – Chuck Strahl out. John Duncan named minister
- CANADIAN NORTHERN DEVELOPMENT AGENCY – Strahl out. Duncan named minister.
November 5, 2010
Calgary MP Jim Prentice announces he is leaving politics for a career on Bay Street.
- ENVIRONMENT MINISTER – Prentice out, John Baird named Acting Environment Minister
- WESTERN ECONOMIC DIVERSIFICATION – Prentice out, Ambrose named minister
Hi David,
I found an omission.
You're missing Michael Chong in Harper's first Cabinet as Minister of Sports, Intergovernmental Affairs and President of the Queen's Privy Council.
This then leads to you missing the entrance of Peter Van Loan to Cabinet as Chong's replacement (Nov. 2006).
Another little error (or rather, a misclassification).
You write that due to Prentice's resignation, Rona Ambrose was named Minister of Western Economic Diversification.
Minister of State Lynne Yelich is still the minister (http://www.wd.gc.ca), but Rona Ambrose has “statutory responsibility” for the department (since Yelich is a Minister of State).
Got it. Thanks.