Alberta’s new cabinet was sworn in Monday at a ceremony at Government House in Edmonton.
Premier Danielle Smith announced who would head the top tier of her government on Friday — a 27-member cabinet supported by 11 parliamentary secretaries.
After Monday morning’s ceremony, Smith and her cabinet held a media availability with reporters.
Smith defeated six rivals earlier this month in the leadership race to replace Jason Kenney as party leader and premier, and all but one of the six have a place at Smith’s cabinet table.
The ministers and parliamentary secretaries represent close to two-thirds of the entire governing United Conservative Party caucus.
There is no longer a ministry for the Status of Women. Smith was asked about that on Monday.
“I’m a woman. I’ve got four senior cabinet ministers who are women. If people think that there’s any danger that women are not going to be represented, then I would ask that they just look at the composition that we have.”
The party held its annual general meeting over the weekend at the River Cree Resort and Casino on Edmonton’s western outskirts, where Smith said her government has instituted a process where every legislature member — minister or not — is “going to be meaningfully involved in creating and developing government policy.”
“Every MLA must be empowered to effectively represent the constituents they serve regardless of their title,” Smith said during her address Saturday, adding that was how former premier Ralph Klein did things.
Smith also told reporters at the event she is seeking legal advice on whether she can pardon those fined for non-criminal violations of health restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Following a divisive leadership campaign, Smith said her caucus is now unified and ready to defend government against the Opposition NDP in next spring’s election.
NDP Leader Rachel Notley, who spoke at her party’s provincial convention in Calgary that was also held on the weekend, said she expected both she and her party would be the focus of much of the discussion at the UCP gathering.
“They’ve had quite a year. I never thought I’d say this about Jason Kenney but I kind of miss him. Weird right?” Notley said in her speech Saturday, without once mentioning Smith by name.
Smith’s full cabinet:
- Deputy Premier and Minister of Silled Trades and Professions – Kaycee Madu
- Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure – Nathan Neudorf
- President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance – Travis Toews
- Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development – Brian Jean
- Minister of Justice – Tyler Shandro
- Minister of Health – Jason Copping
- Minister of Energy – Pete Guthrie
- Minister of Environment and Protected Areas – Sonya Savage
- Minister of Technology and Innovation – Nate Glubish
- Minister of Affordability and Utilities – Matt Jones
- Minister of Municipal Affairs – Rebecca Schulz
- Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors – Devin Dreeshen
- Minister of Public Safety – Mike Ellis
- Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation – Nate Horner
- Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism – Todd Loewen
- Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism – Rajan Sawhney
- Minister of Education – Adriana LaGrange
- Minister of Advanced Education – Demetrios Nicolaides
- Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction – Dale Nally
- Minister of Indigenous Relations – Rick Wilson
- Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services – Jeremy Nixon
- Minister of Children’s Services – Mickey Amery
- Minister of Mental Health and Addictions – Nicholas Milliken
- Minister of Culture – Jason Luan
— with files from Global News