Here are the members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's new cabinet

Here are the members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's new cabinet
Here are the members of Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's new cabinet

Arabnews24.ca:Friday 9 June 2023 04:59 PM: Premier Danielle Smith has named 24 of her 49 member caucus to serve on a cabinet that is dominated by men and lacks diversity. 

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 (Children and Family Services), RJ Sigurdson (Agriculture and Irrigation) and Dan Williams (Mental Health and Addictions) 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. 

"Together we'll form a government that will listen to all voices and represent all Albertans," Smith said at a news conference after her new ministers were sworn-in. 

Albertans elected 48 United Conservative candidates to the 87 seat legislature on May 29. The rest of the house will be made up of 38 NDP MLAs and one independent candidate. 

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, an anti-abortion group. 

Smith, herself, has publicly stated that she is pro-choice. She repeated that position at a news conference on Friday. She said LaGrange will be focused on solving problems in the health-care system like a shortage of family doctors and wait times for EMS, surgeries and the ER. 

"We will not be changing any laws regarding a woman's right to choose," Smith said. 

Nate Horner, who served as minister of agriculture and irrigation in the last government, is the province's new minister of finance, a position his cousin Doug Horner held a decade ago under former premier Alison Redford. 

Jason Nixon returns to cabinet as minister of seniors, community and social Services. Nixon, one of former premier Jason Kenney's allies and top ministers, was dropped from cabinet when Smith became premier last fall. 

Former advanced education minister Demetrios Nicolaides will take over the education portfolio from LaGrange. 

Sarah Hoffman, the NDP deputy leader and MLA-elect in Edmonton-Glenora, criticized the lack of diversity in Smith's cabinet. She criticized the premier for not appointing ministers directly in charge of housing, labour and climate change. No one is responsible for representing the concerns of francophone Albertans, Hoffman added. 

"The point is very little has changed and I fear what that means for our province under this government," she said. 

Alberta's new cabinet:

  • Danielle Smith — Premier and minister of Intergovernmental Affairs
  • 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.

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