EDMONTON — The face of Canada’s government changes Wednesday, when prime minister-designate Justin Trudeau and his cabinet will be sworn in, and there is no doubt there will be fewer Albertans at the cabinet table than there has been in nearly a decade.
With years of strong support for Conservative MPs, Alberta was well represented in Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s inner circle. In 2006, four members of cabinet, including the prime minister himself, were from Alberta. By 2015, there were six Albertans in cabinet, including the high-profile departments of Health (Rona Ambrose) and National Defence (Jason Kenney).
Now, with just four MPs from Alberta on the government side of the house, the province could be looking at just one minister out of a possible 28 to 30 portfolios.
While that may sound like a big demotion, Harper’s cabinet of six Albertans was actually an all-time high for the province. Previously, cabinet had maxed out at three ministers from Alberta, during the Brian Mulroney years from 1988 to 1993.
During the Liberal governments of Jean Chretien and Paul Martin, Edmonton’s Anne McLellan was Alberta’s voice, joined for a time by David Kilgour as a Secretary of State. In 1980, the last time Pierre Elliot Trudeau was prime minister, there were no Liberal MPs in government. Trudeau brought Alberta to the cabinet table by appointing then-Senator Bud Olson as Minister of State for Economic Development.
Here’s who Justin Trudeau has to choose from:
Amarjeet Sohi, Edmonton Mill Woods
Elected to Edmonton City Council three times, Sohi represented Ward 12 from 2007 to 2015 before winning the Edmonton Mill Woods seat in October.
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Randy Boissonnault, Edmonton Centre
A management consultant, Trudeau appointed Boissonnault to his economic team during the election campaign. A former Radio-Canada journalist, he’s bilingual, and Alberta’s first openly gay MP.
Kent Hehr, Calgary Centre
A provincial Liberal MLA from 2008 to 2015, Kent Hehr did not run for provincial re-election after winning the federal nomination. He was the provincial party’s shadow critic for Justice,
a portfolio that suited him, as a lawyer, and the victim of a drive-by shooting more than 20 years ago that left him a quadriplegic.
Darshan Kang, Calgary Skyview
A caucus colleague of Kent Hehr, Kang was also a provincial Liberal MLA from 2008 to 2015, who also left provincial politics to run federally. A former realtor, he served as the provincial critic for Transportation and Service Alberta.
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Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said she hopes to see a strong voice for Alberta when the cabinet is revealed on Wednesday.
“Albertans can also be sure that their provincial government will work in a very focused way to make sure that Alberta interests are represented at the first ministers meetings, and consistently with respect to our relationship with the federal government,” the premier said.
Watch live coverage of the swearing in ceremony here beginning at 9:30 a.m. ET/10:30 a.m. MT on Wednesday, hosted by Tom Clark and Jacques Bourbeau.
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