MONCTON – Long-time New Brunswick Member of Parliament Dominic LeBlanc was appointed to the position of Government House Leader in Canada’s new cabinet Wednesday.
The Beausejour MP, and childhood friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, took the oath for the new position just after noon.
LeBlanc is one of four Atlantic MPs sworn into the privy council, and the only one from New Brunswick. The Atlantic region is all red after the Oct. 19 election.
His appointment is building expectations in his home riding and in the region.
“He has an understanding for New Brunswick and Atlantic Canada,” Greater Moncton Chamber of Commerce Carol O’Reilly told Global News.
“He’ll be able to bring his professionalism. He’s been in politics for many years.”
She added that she believes this will help to bring economic opportunities to the region.
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LeBlanc was first elected to the House of Commons in 2000. In his role as Government House Leader, he will be Trudeau’s right-hand man, in charge of managing the Liberal agenda in the House of Commons.
In fact, he is one of the most senior appointments to the new cabinet.
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“It’s a big responsibility from what I’ve gathered and I believe that the Prime Minister had bestowed on him a big responsibility, since they were very close, as they were growing up,” said Shediac Mayor Jacques LeBlanc, no relation, adding that the town hopes Ottawa will keep their infrastructure needs in mind.
Shediac is one of the municipalities within Dominic LeBlanc’s riding.
“I think we have a great ambassador for the region, being close to the Prime Minister’s office and also being part of the plans that the current government is putting in place,” Frederic Gionet, Director of Investment Attraction for 3 Plus Corporation said.
He also speculated that this might mean one the region’s most high-profile projects – replacing the causeway between Riverview and Moncton with a bridge – may finally go ahead.
Mount Allison Assistant Politics professor Mario Levesque agreed that the high-profile appointment could mean a lot for development in the region, comparing the situation to what former Minister Peter MacKay did in Nova Scotia.
“When I’m travelling in the region, I always admire the newness of the bridges and the roads and the different infrastructure projects throughout Nova Scotia,” he said.
He added that we need to temper our expectations and not get hopes up too high, as New Brunswick is very small compared to other regions in the country.
“We will get fed,” he said. “We will be taken care of, but Central Canadian and Western issues are going to be dominating the agenda.”
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