Here in Ottawa, we have our own cabinet shuffle rumours. I'm on the record that it will be a shuffle of precisely one: Rookie MP Christian Paradis to get a big bump up to International Trade before the end of the week. Others here in Ottawa tell me that briefing books have been prepared over in Human Resources. That's Monte Solberg's department. If he's moving, that's a big shuffle and I'd tend to believe what the PM said last week about big shuffles.
But enough about Ottawa. Here's what B.C. Premier Gordon Campbell did today:
New ministers appointed today include:
* Minister of State for Intergovernmental Relations – Hon. Joan McIntyre
* Minister of Community Development – Hon. Blair Lekstrom
* Minister of Healthy Living and Sport – Hon. Mary Polak
* Minister of Labour and Citizens' Services – Hon. Iain Black
* Minister of Tourism, Culture and the Arts – Hon. Bill BennettMinisters with new portfolios include:
* Minister of Agriculture and Lands – Hon. Stan Hagen
* Minister of State for Mining – Hon. Gordon Hogg
* Minister of Finance and Minister Responsible for the Olympics – Hon.
Colin Hansen
* Minister of Forests and Range – Hon. Pat Bell
* Minister of Housing and Social Development – Hon. Rich Coleman
* Minister of Small Business and Revenue and Minister Responsible for
Deregulation – Hon. Kevin Krueger
* Minister of Technology, Trade and Economic Development and Minister
Responsible for the Asia-Pacific Initiative – Hon. Ida ChongMinisters retaining existing portfolios:
* Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation – Hon. Michael de
Jong
* Minister of Advanced Education and Labour Market Development – Hon.
Murray Coell
* Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Multiculturalism – Hon.
Wally Oppal
* Minister of Children and Family Development – Hon. Tom Christensen
* Minister of State for Childcare – Hon. Linda Reid
* Minister of Education and Minister Responsible for Early Learning and
Literacy and Deputy Premier – Hon. Shirley Bond
* Minister of Energy, Mines and Petroleum Resources – Hon. Richard
Neufeld
* Minister of Environment – Hon. Barry Penner
* Minister of Health Services – Hon. George Abbott
* Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General – Hon. John van Dongen
* Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure – Hon. Kevin Falcon
Any and all gossip, inuendo, rumour and gospel truth about any and all gratefully welcomed 🙂
Technorati Tags: British Columbia – Politics, Gordon Campbell, cabinet shuffles
I'm pretty sure that there are briefing books being prepared at most departments – it's traditional summertime busywork for bureaucrats, and doesn't necessarily mean that they know anything the rest of us don't. I'm still betting that you're right, as far as Paradis. Is it really a shuffle if it just involves promoting one guy into cabinet, though?
OK, I'll play along.
Diane Ablonczy to Human Resources, Monte Solberg to International Trade, and Emerson stays at Foreign Affairs until the next election. Then, will he run again? Who knows. But in googling him, I found out he's a Montreal native, as is Jim Flaherty. According to L. Ian Macdonald, Flaherty was a scrappy hockey player at Loyola.
So there's more Quebec connection in the cabinet than we realize.
Emerson would keep the Pacific Gateway thingie.
I'd like to see the current Quebec Health Minister Philippe Couillard (apparently no relation to that OTHER Couillard), who's probably leaving his post, join the Conservatives. But that will never happen.