New Canadian Cabinet

[Hatman 🍁]

Just some notes:

David Emerson joins the Conservatives to enter cabinet and Michael Fortier will be appointed (!) to the Senate to serve in cabinet so Montreal gets a cabinet minister.

Cabinet is reduced to 26 members.

Chuck Stahl - Agriculture & Agri-Food
Peter MacKay - Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Foreign Affairs
Bev Oda - Canadian Heritage, Status of Women
Monte Solberg - Citizenship & Immigration
Jean-Pierre Blackburn - Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec, Labour
Rona Ambrose - Environment
Jim Flaherty - Finance
Loyola Hearn - Fisheries & Oceans
Tony Celement - Health, Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario
Diane Finley- Human Resources & Social Development
Jim Prentice - Indian Affairs and Northern Development, Federal Interlocutor for Métis and Non-Status Indians
Maxime Bernier - Industry
Josee Verner -  International Cooperation, Official Languages, La Francophonie
David Emerson - International Trade, Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics
Vic Toews - Justice, Attorney General
Rob Nicholson - Leader of the Government in the House of Commons, Democratic Reform
Marjory LeBreton - Leader of the Government in the Senate
Gordon O'Connor - National Defence
Carol Skelton - National Revenue, Western Economic Diversification
Gary Lunn - Natural Resources
Stockwell Day - Public Safety
Michael Fortier - Public Works and Government Services
Michael Chong - President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, Intergovernmental Affairs, Sport
Lawrence Cannon - Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
John Barid - President of the Treasury Board
Greg Thompson - Veterans Affairs

[Gabu]

I was kind of unsettled at Stockwell Day's being named to Public Safety, given that that's the guy in charge of the RCMP, CSIS, anti-terrorism units, etc.

Couple that with David Emerson getting the fast track to Harper's cabinet and the thing surrounding Fortier, and I am made utterly underwhelmed by Harper's first day as PM.

[minionofmidas]

Tell me more about Jim Prentice.

[Filuwaúrdjan]

He was never a member of Reform or CA IIRC (I know he ran for the PC leadership in 2003). He represents most (or a large part) of Joe Clark's old seat in Calgary.

This is from his website:

..."After being sworn in as the MP for Calgary Centre-North on July 16, Conservative Party Leader Stephen Harper named Jim to be the Official Opposition Critic for Indian and Northern Affairs. In that role, Jim took the lead in Parliament in opposing the Tlicho land claim agreement, which he says will make Canada ungovernable in 50 years. He is also a strong supporter of the Mackenzie Valley gas pipeline, and has taken the government to task on its treatment of aboriginal women, its wasted money administering the Residential School Claims program for aboriginal victims of abuse, and the fact that it spends upwards of $10 billion a year on aboriginal programs, but aboriginal Canadians in many communities still have undrinkable water and live in substandard conditions..."

[Hatman 🍁]

Jim Prentice is more on the moderate side of the party, having voted in favour of Same-sex marriage. I noticed a couple of people in Harper's cabinet are pro SSM.