Canada: Politics Tory cabinet sworn in, new Parliament won't sit until April

Here is the list of Cabinet appointments made today, upon the introduction of each to the Governor-General at Rideau Hall, Ottawa. Smaller than previous Cabinets (the last Liberal Cabinet had 39), the 27 members (including the Prime Minister) hail from Alberta (3), British Columbia (5), Manitoba (1), New Brunswick (1), Newfoundland and Labrador (1), Nova Scotia (1), Ontario (9), Quebec (5), Saskatchewan (1). I've drawn the basic data from Toronto Star, but have deleted much of their data, to supply some of my own observations. Also, I constructed the second list just to show the distribution of representation by province. One naysayer is Peter Byrne a narrow-interest bloke who directs Alberta's Chamber of Commerce. While Bruce Cheadle of Canada Press via Canada.com rehearses for us all the criticisms being made of the Harper selections, he adds almost as an afterthawt:

But on balance, Harper's first cabinet seems a fiscally conservative, socially moderate model of regional balance, provincial experience and young and old.

Undoubtedly, there will be more pro and con in the next 24 hours - Politicarp

THE NEW CABINET GOVERNING CANADA

— Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 46. (Calgary West, Alberta)

— House Leader Rob Nicholson, 53 (Niagara Falls, Ontario).

— Trade Minister David Emerson, 60 (Vancouver-Kingsway). The biggest surprise, Emerson held the same post under the Liberal minority government, crossed the aisle, as the say, and will continue to deal with the US on the sore-spot in Canada of softwood-lumber trade. But what will he do in regard to trade with China, and China's attempt to buy up Canadian natural-resources industries?

— Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, 57 (Jonquiere-Alma, Quebec).

— Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, 58 (New Brunswick Southwest, NB).

— Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton, 66 (Ottawa, Ontario).

— Immigration Minister Monte Solberg, 47 (Medicine Hat, Alberta).

— Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl, 48 (Chilliwack, BC).

— Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, 48 (Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC).

— Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, 40 (Central Nova, Nova Scotia).

— Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, 62 (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Laborador).

— Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, 55 (Okanagan-Coquihala, BC). Day had been suspected by many to want the Foreign Affairs portfolio, as he had served in the previous Tory shadow cabinet in that capacity. Anti-Communist-China advocates had urged his appontment to FA, but in Public Safety, Day will oversee CSIS, the Canadian watchdog of foreign spies in the country - not just Communist China's, of course; another element will be purview of terrorists from the Middle East and elsewhere.

— Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, 60 (Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Saskatchewan).

— Justice Minister Vic Toews, 53 (Provencher, Manitoba).

— Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, 36. (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alberta)

— Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Michael Chong, 34 (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ontario).

— Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, 48 (Haldimand-Norfolk, Ontario).

— Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor, 66. (Carleton-Mississippi Mills). Brigadier General in Canadian Forces, retired.

— Heritage Minister Bev Oda, 61 (Durham, Ontario).

— Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, 49 (Calgary North-Centre, Alberta).

— Treasury Board Chairman John Baird, no age given (Ottawa, Ontario).

— Industry Minister Maxime Bernier, no age given) (Beauce, Quebec).

— Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon, 58 (Pontiac, Quebec). "A transportation expert." Leftwing Mayor of Toronto said on TV that Cannon would bring results for the transportation needs of megacities.

— Health Minister Tony Clement, 44 (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ontario). Formerly Health Minister of Ontario.

— Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, 56 (Whitby-Oshawa, Ontario). Held parallel post in Ontario cabinet, will bring fiscal acuteness to the Federal budget process, but also a very harsh attitude toward the poor and disabled. Advocated putting homeless in jail. But leftwing Toronto Mayor just said on TV that he felt Flaherty's appointment as liaison to Toronto would be a very knowledgeable one, and had a good chance of bringing results.

— International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner, 46 (Louis-Saint-Laurent, Quebec)

— Public Works Minister Michael Fortier, 44 (unelected, Montreal, Quebec). Just named to Senate by Harper, in order to place him in Cabinet, and have Montreal represented there.


----- the same list distributed by province represented ------

ALBERTA (3)

— Prime Minister Stephen Harper, 46. (Calgary West, Alberta)
— Environment Minister Rona Ambrose, 36. (Edmonton-Spruce Grove, Alberta)
— Indian Affairs Minister Jim Prentice, 49. (Calgary North-Centre, Alberta)

BRITISH COLUMBIA (5)

— House Leader Rob Nicholson, 53 (Niagara Falls, Ontario)
— Trade Minister David Emerson, 60. (Vancouver-Kingsway)
— Agriculture Minister Chuck Strahl, 48. (Chilliwack, BC)
— Natural Resources Minister Gary Lunn, 48. (Saanich-Gulf Islands, BC)
— Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day, 55. (Okanagan-Coquihala, BC)

MANITOBA (1)

— Justice Minister Vic Toews, 53.(Provencher, Manitoba)

NEW BRUNSWICK (1)

— Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson, 58.(New Brunswick Southwest, NB)

NEWFOUNDLAND & LABRADOR (1)

— Fisheries Minister Loyola Hearn, 62. (St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, Newfoundland and Labrador)

NOVA SCOTIA (1)

— Foreign Affairs Minister Peter MacKay, 40. (Central Nova, Nova Scotia)

ONTARIO (9)

— House Leader Rob Nicholson, 53 (Niagara Falls, Ontario)
— Senate Leader Marjory LeBreton, 66. (Ottawa, Ontario)
— Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Michael Chong, 34. (Wellington-Halton Hills, Ontario)
— Human Resources Minister Diane Finley, 48. (Haldimand-Norfolk, Ontario)
— Defence Minister Gordon O’Connor, 66. (Carleton-Mississippi Mills) Brigadier General in Canadian Forces, retired.
— Heritage Minister Bev Oda, 61. (Durham, Ontario)
— Treasury Board Chairman John Baird; (no age given). (Ottawa, Ontario)
- Health Minister Tony Clement, 44. (Parry Sound-Muskoka, Ontario)
— Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, 56 (Whitby-Oshawa, Ontario)

QUEBEC (5)

— Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn, 57. (Jonquiere-Alma, Quebec)
— Industry Minister Maxime Bernier (Beauce, Quebec)
- Transport Minister Lawrence Cannon (Pontiac, Quebec)
— International Co-operation Minister Josee Verner (Louis-Saint-Laurent, Quebec)
— Public Works Minister Michael Fortier (Montreal, Quebec - Senate).

SASKATCHEWAN (1)

— Revenue Minister Carol Skelton, 60. (Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar, Saskatchewan)

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