UPDATE 1:30 pm PT: Christy Clark has been officially sworn in as B.C.’s 35th Premier. She is the second woman to be Premier of British Columbia, and the fourth female Premier in Canadian history.
Here is the full list of her cabinet:
Finance and deputy premier- Kevin Falcon
Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation – Mary Polak
Advanced Education – Naomi Yamamoto
Agriculture – Don McRae
Attorney-General – Barry Penner
Children and Family Development – Mary McNeil
Community, Sport and Cultural Development – Ida Chong
Education – George Abbott
Energy and Mines (and responsible for housing) Rich Coleman
Environment – Terry Lake
Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations – Steve Thomson
Health – Mike de Jong
Jobs, Tourism and Innovation – Pat Bell
Labour, Citizens’ Services and Open Government – Stephanie Cadieux
Public Safety and Solicitor-General – Shirley Bond
Social Development – Harry Bloy
Transportation and Infrastructure – Blair Lekstrom
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When Christy Clark is sworn in as premier today, she will unveil a smaller cabinet that shuffles more than six existing ministers onto the backbenches.
The Vancouver Sun has learned that Clark will eliminate all three minister of state portfolios in her new cabinet, and create a new Ministry of Jobs, Tourism and Innovation to put a greater focus on economic development and trade.
Clark will bring responsibility for colleges and universities back into one ministry, after they were separated during Premier Gordon Campbell’s shuffle last October.
Liberal MLA Moira Stilwell, who ran unsuccessfully for the party leadership, has confirmed that she will not be in the new cabinet of premier-designate Christy Clark. Stilwell, who has been serving as minister of regional economic and skills development, said she will be named a parliamentary secretary.
In total, Clark will name 17 ministers in addition to herself, reducing the number of cabinet portfolios by six from the 23 that were named in Campbell’s cabinet last October.
Of the 17 ministers in Clark’s cabinet, six will be women, meaning at least one of the seven women who were in cabinet before the recent leadership race will be dropped.
Of the new faces to the cabinet table, some will be getting portfolios for the first time. For others, it will be a return to cabinet after a time away.
Clark is expected to increase the role of the MLAs left outside cabinet by beefing up the mandates for the various parliamentary secretary roles.
Clark is expected to announce changes in the bureaucracy as well.
Last week, Clark removed the head of the public affairs bureau, as well as Campbell’s director of communications, and other key members of his staff.
Since being elected leader of the B.C. Liberal Party on Feb. 26, Clark has also replaced Allan Seckel, Campbell’s deputy minister and head of the public service. She put longtime bureaucrat John Dyble into that role.
Clark has said little publicly about the cabinet she plans to unveil, but has spoken about the importance of bringing new faces to the table.
"I think there’s a lot of talent in the backbench, and when I say we’re going to change government, we’re going to certainly make sure that we draw on some of the folks perhaps that haven’t been as busy in the past as they could be," Clark told reporters early last week.
Clark said at the time that she had still not decided where she’d run in a byelection, but agreed the most likely scenario would have her running in Campbell’s riding of Vancouver-Point Grey.
Campbell has publicly said in the past that if asked, he would vacate his seat to allow Clark a chance to run.
Clark does not need a seat to be sworn in as premier, but has said she wants to seek a seat as soon as possible.
Lt.-Gov. Steven Point will administer the oath of office to Clark and her new cabinet starting at 1 p.m. today.
Clark will become B.C.’s 35th premier, and only the second female in the province’s history to hold the job.
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