Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

DAN ALBAS -- This is perhaps the first time where a well-known political talking point has now become a Ministry

Montreal now has 7 Ministers serving in Cabinet

On Wednesday Prime Minister Trudeau announced his new cabinet. Anyone who thought having less seats and a minority Government would in turn result in a smaller cabinet will be disappointed to learn otherwise.

By the numbers the new cabinet now has 37 Ministers, in contrast to the 31 Minister's announced by the Prime Minister after the 2015 majority.

In order to add so many new Ministers, in some cases a new Ministry had to be created. As an example we now have a Minister of Middle Class Prosperity.

This is perhaps the first time where a well-known political talking point has now become a Ministry.

At this point it is unclear what will be the mandate of this or any Ministry as the official mandate letters have yet to be released.

Not counting Prime Minister Trudeau, of the remaining 36 Ministers, 18 are female and 18 are male as the gender quota policy of the Prime Minister remains unchanged.

What has changed is the distribution of responsibilities.

In the last Parliament, women were appointed Ministers or leaders in areas such as the Environment, Foreign Affairs, Justice and Attorney General, House Leader and President of Treasury Board.

In the 2019 Cabinet, all of the roles mentioned above, including Finance, Transport, and National Defence are filled by men. It is also of interest that the only two Ministers, successfully re-elected, and not returned to cabinet were both women.

There of course is also considerable discussion over who was demoted, and promoted, however I believe these types of discussions tend to diminish the contributions of the Minister and the portfolio in question, often unfairly.

I will also add that there are seven new faces at the cabinet table, and I am certain that there will be no dispute for them serving in cabinet is a promotion.

Regionally the big winner of this cabinet is the City of Montreal, who now has seven Ministers serving in Mr. Trudeau’s Cabinet. 17 Minister's are from Ontario, and 11 are from Quebec ... compared to 4 from BC.

Another significant change is that there is no longer a Minister for Democratic Institutions.

For those hoping that Mr. Trudeau would eventually honour his promise, to end the first past the post voting system, this seems increasingly unlikely as a result of this move.

Other Ministerial portfolios also no longer exist. As an example there is no longer a Minister of Sport ... nor is there a Minister of Science.

This leads to my question for this week:

“Given that there is no longer a Minster of Science or Sport, are you supportive that there is now a Minister of Middle Class Prosperity?”

I can be reached at:
Email: Dan.Albas@parl.gc.ca
Toll Free: 1 (800) 665-8711


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nurses Take Job Action After Years of NDP Neglect

Image Credit:  BC Nurses Union BC nurses have reached a breaking point after years of unsafe conditions, rising violence in the workplace and a government that wouldn’t listen. Now they are on the picket line fighting to be heard. Last week, nurses began job action with a 72-hour strike notice, refusing non-essential overtime and stepping back from non-nursing duties. As of Tuesday, they have escalated to picket lines for the first time in decades. This moment was avoidable. It is the result of years of unanswered concerns from the frontline workers who keep our hospitals running. Nurses have been raising the same concerns for years: unsafe staffing levels, rising violence on the job, and a workload no single person should have to carry. None of it is new, and none of it should have taken a strike vote to get the government's attention. "Nurses are exercising their legal right to job action, but it shouldn’t have had to come to this," said Kiel Giddens, MLA for...
Post a Comment
Read more

British Columbians Still Don’t Know Who’s Paying for NDP’s BC Hydro Deal

The NDP is making billion-dollar promises with BC Hydro, but British Columbians still don’t know who will pay the bill. Last week’s memorandum of understanding isn’t what the federal government and the NDP are making it out to be. It’s an admission that the NDP failed to make the long-term investments needed to keep B.C. powered. Now British Columbians have serious questions about the cost and whether BC Hydro ratepayers will end up paying the price. David L. Williams, MLA for Salmon Arm-Shuswap and Shadow Minister for BC Hydro and Electrical Energy Development , said British Columbians deserve clear answers about the full implications of the Canada–British Columbia Cooperative Prosperity Agreement. “British Columbians deserve the full truth,” said Mr. Williams. “This multi-billion-dollar announcement does not answer who pays for cost overruns, who pays for new generation, who carries the risk if industrial customers do not materialize, or whether ratepayers will be forced ...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more