Cullen leads education after shuffle

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 06/01/2021 (1839 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A post-Christmas shuffle has led to some big changes in Manitoba’s cabinet.

After musing in a year-end interview that he might appoint a second health minister to assist Cameron Friesen, Premier Brian Pallister has put Heather Stefanson in charge of that portfolio and made Southdale MLA Audrey Gordon minister of mental health, wellness and recovery.

With Gordon’s appointment, she becomes the first Black cabinet minister in Manitoba’s history after being one of the first three Black MLAs ever elected in the province during the 2019 provincial election.

Former health minister Friesen is now minister of justice, taking over from Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen, who is now minister of education, taking over from Kelvin Goertzen, who is now minister of legislative affairs and deputy premier.

The Sun requested an interview with Cullen about his new role but did not get a response by deadline.

A new portfolio was created for Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, who is now minister of advanced education, skills and immigration. Previously, post-secondary education was handled by economic development.

There are now 18 members of cabinet, compared to 15 previously. One-half of the Progressive Conservative caucus’ 36 members are now part of cabinet.

The swearing-in ceremony at the legislature in Winnipeg was closed to the public. Pallister and Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon introduced and swore in cabinet members.

Only three ministers were brought into the room at a time, with tables and chairs being sanitized between waves.

In an early afternoon media conference, Pallister called the shuffle a hopeful occasion. During his opening remarks, the premier mentioned immigration, addictions and economic recovery as some of his priorities for 2021.

Asked why he decided to add more cabinet members when his government has asked organizations like school divisions to cut the number of administrative staff they employ, Pallister said those moves were to reduce the size of middle management to address the deficit left by the previous government.

“By adding senior cabinet positions to portfolios such as newly created departments that focus on addictions and wellness, we’re demonstrating our understanding that’s going to be and continues to be a significant challenge for the people of our province,” he said.

The premier would not define the responsibilities of the new minister of mental health, saying mandate letters for all new and existing cabinet members would be issued. However, he said that he couldn’t think of a time when it would be more important to expand addictions and mental health programming.

Despite Friesen receiving criticism for his handling of the pandemic and comments made about doctors in November, Pallister was adamant that Friesen’s shuffling was not a demotion or punishment.

“I have a tremendous amount of respect for Cameron Friesen or he wouldn’t be our new attorney general and justice minister,” he said. “As far as being health minister over the last two and a half years, that’s probably a longer term for health minister than most in Canada. I can only say that Cameron Friesen took on the job without knowing COVID was on the horizon and I don’t think there’s a person in this province who would have wanted to do the job he undertook as a leader in our health department over the last number of months.”

Asked if Friesen had wanted a new portfolio, the premier was blunt.

“It doesn’t matter, frankly. It’s what the premier wants. What the premier wants is to make sure that people who are capable are in roles of responsibility and that’s what the premier got today.”

When the NDP were last in power, Pallister criticized them for having 19 ministers and pledged to reduce that amount by one-third. With his own cabinet reaching 18 members, he was asked if he’d changed his mind.

His response was that after several years in power, he now has more MLAs with legislative experience to choose from when forming a cabinet.

“We didn’t want to put people into positions of power and influence until they were ready,” he said.

He also downplayed the idea that the cabinet shuffle was an effort to distract Manitobans from his government’s low polling numbers, calling the idea “a ludicrous assertion that doesn’t deserve to be responded to.”

Speaking to the Sun Tuesday afternoon, Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew was unimpressed by the shuffle.

“If you cut through it all, what they did today is they fired their health minister and I think everyone in Manitoba knows why,” Kinew said. “This second wave has not gone well for the province and so this is Mr. Pallister admitting that this has been a failure and shuffling things around a bit to cover over that change.”

He believes that the cabinet shuffle won’t make much of a difference, with most of the same players still involved.

On the topic of the new minister for mental health, Kinew said his party has had a critic for mental health issues for more than a year after pledging to do just the same with the portfolio in the last provincial election.

“For me, the big takeaway is that nobody was demoted and he’s growing the size of the cabinet,” Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont told the Sun by phone.

“Fully half the PC caucus is in cabinet. If people were expecting that they’d see a change in the middle of code red … that’s not at all what’s happening because it’s not just that nobody’s been demoted, but nobody’s being held to account.”

He believed that Goertzen and Friesen maintaining prominence in cabinet showed a lack of accountability from the governing party.

Rather than making mental health its own department, Lamont said he believes that breaking seniors’ issues off of health to make a separate ministry would have been more impactful.

The Manitoba Organization of Faculty Associations sent the Sun a statement from president Scott Forbes expressing optimism with advanced education becoming a stand-alone ministry.

“Since this government has taken office and especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen cuts to post-secondary funding as tuition fees have increased, while the province continues to interfere in the operations of our institutions,” Forbes wrote. “We sincerely hope that this shuffle signifies a shift away from the austerity and Americanization of our universities, rather than an attempt to distract Manitobans from the government’s record during the pandemic.”

» cslark@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @ColinSlark

 

BREAKOUT BOX: Manitoba’s new cabinet

The following is a full list of the new cabinet members:

• Brian Pallister — Premier and minister of Intergovernmental Affairs

• Heather Stefanson — Minister of Health, Seniors and Active Living (was minister of families and deputy premier)

• Kelvin Goertzen — Minister of Legislative Affairs and Deputy Premier (was minister of education)

• Cliff Cullen — Minister of Education (was minister of justice)

• Ralph Eichler — Minister of Economic Development and Jobs (was minister of economic development and training)

• Cameron Friesen — Minister of Justice (was minister of health, seniors and active living)

• Rochelle Squires — Minister of Families and Francophone Affairs

• Wayne Ewasko — Minister of Advanced Education, Skills and Immigration (not previously in cabinet)

• Derek Johnson — Minister of Municipal Relations (not previously in cabinet)

• Audrey Gordon — Minister for Mental Health, Wellness and Recovery

• Ron Schuler — Minister of Infrastructure (remains in place)

• Blaine Petersen — Minister of Agriculture and Resource Development (remains in place)

• Eileen Clarke — Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs (remains in place)

• Cathy Cox — Minister of Sport, Culture and Heritage and minister responsible for the status of women (remains in place)

• Scott Fielding — Minister of Finance (remains in place)

• Jeff Wharton — Minister of Crown Services (remains in place)

• Reg Helwer — Minister of Central Services (remains in place)

• Sarah Guillemard — Minister of Conservation and Climate (remains in place)

» The Brandon Sun