Harper unveils cabinet, moves Baird to foreign affairs

OTTAWA – Stephen Harper has unveiled the first cabinet of his majority government, bringing in several new faces and promoting veteran political pitbull John Baird to foreign affairs.

The prime minister increased the size of the country’s board of directors by one member, tying it with Brian Mulroney’s cabinet as the biggest ever.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty and Defence Minister Peter MacKay are among the veterans keeping their posts.

Tony Clement leaves the industry portfolio to become the powerful Treasury Board president and Christian Paradis takes over his old job.

Baird replaces Lawrence Cannon, who was defeated in the May 2 election and Peter Van Loan takes over from Baird as government House leader.

Among the newcomers sworn in at Rideau Hall are Peter Penashue – the lone Conservative from Newfoundland and Labrador – as intergovernmental affairs minister.

Rookie Joe Oliver soars into a full cabinet post as Natural Resources minister.

Talk of some high-profile rookies getting instant promotions failed to materialize. Neither former Canadian diplomat Chris Alexander or pediatric surgeon Kellie Leitch got the call.

Maxime Bernier, one of only five Tories elected in Quebec, returns to cabinet in a junior role as minister of state for small business and tourism after a three-year exile. He was booted from cabinet in 2008 after losing secret documents.

Ed Fast from B.C. enters cabinet as trade minister and former Mulroney minister Bernard Valcourt returns with a junior portfolio as minister of state for ACOA and francophonie.

There are 10 women in the new cabinet, out of just 28 in the 166-member Conservative caucus.