Manitoba Premier grows inner circle in cabinet shuffle

WINNIPEG – Premier Brian Pallister has added a new face to his cabinet.

The previously amalgamated portfolios of Indigenous and Northern Relations and Municipal Relations, held by Eileen Clark, has been split into two.

Jeff Wharton was sworn in Thursday morning as the minister of municipal relations. Clark will remain as minister for indigenous and northern relations.

Five other portfolios were also shuffled.

Ron Schuler has moved from minister of crown services to infrastructure.

Cliff Cullen has taken over the crown portfolio, moving from minister of growth, enterprise and trade.

That portfolio will now be run by Blaine Pederson who was previously the minister of infrastructure.

Cathy Cox and Rochelle Squires have swapped portfolios. Cox is now the minister of sport, culture and heritage and Squires minister of sustainable development and minister responsible for francophone affairs and status of women.

The rest of cabinet remains as follows:

• Brian Pallister (MLA for Fort Whyte) – premier and president of the Executive Council; minister of intergovernmental affairs and international relations;
• Heather Stefanson (MLA for Tuxedo) – minister of justice and attorney general; Keeper of the Great Seal of the Province of Manitoba; deputy premier;
• Kelvin Goertzen (MLA for Steinbach) – minister of health, seniors and active living;
• Ralph Eichler (MLA for Lakeside) – minister of agriculture;
• Cameron Friesen (MLA for Morden-Winkler) – minister of finance; minister responsible for the civil service;
• Ian Wishart (MLA for Portage la Prairie) – minister of education and training; and
• Scott Fielding (MLA for Kirkfield Park) – minister of families.

When Pallister was sworn in as Premier in 2016 he reduced the overall size of cabinet by nearly two-thirds.

READ: Pallister sworn in as Manitoba Premier, announces 12 cabinet ministers. 

Noting at the time a smaller cabinet would save around $5 million.

“This group, the size it is, I think is an optimum size. I didn’t enter into this structure without some forethought,”  Pallister said May 3, 2016.