Arabnews24.ca:Friday 9 June 2023 03:09 PM: The 25 members of Premier Danielle Smith's new cabinet have been announced.
The swearing-in ceremony was held Friday at Government House in Edmonton with mostly established politicians and past cabinet members being appointed. The previous cabinet had 27 members.
Nate Glubish, Dale Nally, Devin Dreeshen and Rick Wilson were reinstated to their respective portfolios. Searle Turton, RJ Sigurdson and Dan Williams were appointed to cabinet for the first time. Every member of Smith's cabinet has served at least one term in the legislature.
Nine of the new members of cabinet are from Calgary. The cabinet only has five women — Smith, Rebecca Schulz, Tanya Fir, Rajan Sawhney, and Adriana LaGrange.
The cabinet also only has three ministers from diverse backgrounds: Sawhney, who is of South Asian descent and is fluent in Punjabi, Muhammad Yaseen, also of South Asian descent and fluent in Urdu and Punjabi, and Mickey Amery, who is Lebanese-Canadian. Yaseen and Amery are Muslims and Sawhney is Sikh.
"I am so pleased to have this team working with me to deliver on the promises we made to Albertans during the election," Smith said in a news release Friday.
"These are not just our government's priorities, they are Albertans' priorities. The next four years start today, and I can't wait to get back to work with each of my cabinet colleagues."
LaGrange, who served as education minister for the entire four years of the UCP's last mandate, moves into Health, the largest portfolio in government. LaGrange is a past-president of Red Deer Pro-Life. Smith, herself, has publicly stated that she is pro-choice.
Cabinet members sworn in include:
- Mike Ellis — Deputy premier and minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services.
- Nate Horner — President of Treasury Board and minister of Finance.
- Nathan Neudorf — Minister of Affordability and Utilities.
- Ric McIver — Minister of Municipal Affairs.
- Dale Nally — Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction.
- Pete Guthrie — Minister of Infrastructure.
- Brian Jean — Minister of Energy and Minerals.
- Todd Loewen — Ministry of Forestry and Parks.
- RJ Sigurdson — Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation.
- Adriana LaGrange — Minister of Health.
- Dan Williams — Minister of Mental Health and Addiction.
- Jason Nixon — Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services.
- Rebecca Schulz — Minister of Environment and Protected Areas.
- Joseph Schow — Minister of Tourism and Sport.
- Mickey Amery — Minister of Justice.
- Matt Jones — Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade.
- Searle Turton — Minister of Children and Family Services.
- Devin Dreeshen — Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors.
- Rajan Sawhney — Minister of Advanced Education.
- Demetrios Nicolaides — Minister of Education.
- Tanya Fir — Minister of Arts, Culture and Status of Women.
- Nate Glubish — Minister of Technology and Innovation.
- Rick Wilson — Minister of Indigenous Relations.
- Muhammad Yaseen — Minister of Immigration and Multiculturalism.
More to come.
