Friday 1 November 2024

Holt leans on Saint John, Moncton-area MLAs in her N.B. cabinet picks

 

Holt leans on Saint John, Moncton-area MLAs in her N.B. cabinet picks

Premier-designate unveils list of 19 ministers on eve of her Liberal government’s swearing-in

Premier-designate Susan Holt has unveiled her list of cabinet ministers one day before they are to be sworn in to form a new Liberal government.

Holt has tapped three-term Bathurst MLA René Legacy for a major role, naming him deputy premier, minister of finance and the treasury board, and minister of energy, according to a statement released Friday morning.

As was widely expected, Dr. John Dornan, the former Horizon Health CEO and newly elected member for Saint John-Portland-Simonds, will be minister of health, in charge of implementing major commitments that were at the heart of the Liberal election campaign.

Other newcomers in the greater Saint John area — where the Liberals won a majority of seats in the election — include Saint John Harbour MLA David Hickey as housing minister, Rothesay MLA Alyson Townsend as minister of post-secondary education, training and labour, and Quispamsis MLA Aaron Kennedy as minister of local government.

 A woman standing at a microphone with a group of people standing behind her.Holt unveiled a list of 19 ministers on the eve of her government's swearing-in. She is seen here with her new Liberal team at a recent event. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins MLA John Herron is also in cabinet as minister of natural resources.

The new cabinet will be sworn in during a ceremony at the legislature Saturday at 2 p.m.

All MLAs elected from all parties on Oct. 21 will take their oaths earlier in the day, at 11 a.m.

Including Holt, six of the 19 ministers will be women.

Besides Holt and Townsend, they are: Education Minister Claire Johnson; Social Development Minister Cindy Miles; Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Isabelle Thériault; and Minister for Seniors and Women's Equality Lyne Chantal Boudreau.

Holt had a large number of Moncton-area MLAs to choose from. 

A man in a blue suit and red tie stands outside smiling at the camera. Holt has tapped three-term Bathurst MLA René Legacy for a major role, naming him deputy premier, minister of finance and the treasury board, and minister of energy. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

In addition to Johnson and Boudreau, Rob McKee will become minister of justice and attorney general and will also have cabinet responsibility for addictions and mental health.

And Robert Gauvin, a former Progressive Conservative minister who quit the Higgs government and ran against Holt for the Liberal leadership, becomes minister of public safety and minister for La Francophonie.

A 4x4 photo graph, with 16 headshots of different people. Newly announced executive council members include, clockwise from upper left: John Dornan, Claire Johnson, Keith Chiasson, Cindy Miles, Isabelle Thériault, Aaron Kennedy, Gilles LePage, Chuck Chiasson, Robert Gauvin, Alyson Townsend, John Herron, Pat Finnigan, Luke Randall, David Hickey, Jean-Claude D’Amours and Lyne Chantal Boudreau. (CBC)

Other ministers include:

  • Chuck Chiasson as minister of transportation and infrastructure.

  • Keith Chiasson as minister of indigenous affairs.

  • Luke Randall as minister of economic development and minister responsible for Opportunities New Brunswick, N.B. Liquor and Cannabis N.B.

  • Gilles Le Page as minister of environment and climate change, and for the Regional Development Corporation.

  • Pat Finnigan as minister of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries. 

  • Jean-Claude D'Amours as minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister responsible for immigration.

Holt announced five other Liberal MLAs will hold key roles in the legislature.

A man in a blue suit speaking into a handheld microphone Rob McKee will become minister of justice and attorney-general and will also have cabinet responsibility for addictions and mental health. (Jacques Poitras/CBC)

She said her caucus will vote for Madawaska Les Lacs-Edmundston MLA Francine Landry to become Speaker in an election by all MLAs.

Veteran Liberals Guy Arseneault and Benoît Bourque will be deputy speakers.

Belle-Baie-Belledune  MLA Marco LeBlanc will manage the government's legislative agenda as government house leader and Shediac-Cap-Acadie MLA Jacques LeBlanc will be the government whip.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR


Jacques Poitras

Provincial Affairs reporter

Jacques Poitras has been CBC's provincial affairs reporter in New Brunswick since 2000. He grew up in Moncton and covered Parliament in Ottawa for the New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal. He has reported on every New Brunswick election since 1995 and won awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association, the National Newspaper Awards and Amnesty International. He is also the author of five non-fiction books about New Brunswick politics and history.

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65 Comments



David Amos

"Holt has tapped three-term Bathurst MLA René Legacy for a major role, naming him deputy premier, minister of finance and the treasury board, and minister of energy."

Now we know who rules the roost

Robert Holmes
Reply to David Amos
Certainly a broad set of Mandates. I shall be watching what will be the priorities for Energy. Higgs started the search for SMR's, which may become available sometime in the 2030s. The fossil fuel thermal plants will need phaseout by then, if not sooner. The Grid must be rebuilt and interconnected with Maine, QC, and the rest of Atlantic Canada. Whither solar and wind?

tom hickie
Reply to David Amos
dom leblanc



David Amos

"John Herron is also in cabinet as minister of natural resources"

Bingo

David Amos
Reply to David Amos
"Rob McKee will become minister of justice and attorney-general and will also have cabinet responsibility for addictions and mental health"

I was right again

David Amos
Reply to David Amos
Quispamsis MLA Aaron Kennedy as minister of local government

That was a nobrainer to predict

David Amos
Reply to David Amos
Robert Gauvin as minister for La Francophonie was no surprise but to appoint a comedian to be minister of public safety??? Now that is truly funny

Ralph Skavinsky
Reply to David Amos
PCs had a disc jockey for finance and he did quite well so maybe we should look to music/comedy for those personalities to leave there mark.

David Amos
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
IMHO Francine Landry should be the minister for La Francophonie and have Robert Gauvin elected as Speaker in order for a comedian to run a proper circus.

With regards to the minister of public safety methinks the lawyer and boss of the SANB would every bit as interesting as the preacher and former boss of the PANB was N'esy Pas?

Al Clark
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
p'raps they should look to people who understand reeding ann righting to leave THEIR mark...
 
Don Corey
Reply to David Amos 
Higgs put a turncoat in public safety; it would appear Holt also likes that approach.
 
David Amos
Reply to Don Corey
Apparently so 
 
 

Ronald Miller
We have gone from a school teacher and principal as an Education Minister to a dietician, sounds like we are in good hands.

Bob Smith
Reply to Ronald Miller
We have gone from Bruce Fitch, a man knowing nothing about healthcare save for doing photo ops, to John Dornan for a health minister.

Dianne MacPherson
Reply to Bob Smith
REALLY ??

Dornan.......a man with four months experience .

Bob Smith
Reply to Dianne MacPherson
How much experience did Fitch have in the area? Less than zero. Fitch was a Conservative hack who toed the party line and did as he was told. Fitch got a gold plated pension for his less than stellar work in gov't.

David Amos

Reply to Dianne MacPherson
At least he knows how to sue a government

Jos Allaire
Reply to Ronald Miller
In much better hands than we were before❗

Ralph Skavinsky
Reply to Bob Smith
..and the fact Bruce's dad was a doctor...

MR Cain
Reply to Dianne MacPherson
A Master of Business Administration is nothing to sneeze at.

MR Cain
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
In 1980, he graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biology from Mount Allison University. His career in the private sector was in the insurance and financial industries. He worked with Scotiabank and its brokerage firm ScotiaMcLeod for many years prior to his election to the legislature. Yeah, lots of experience in health care.

Ralph Skavinsky
Reply to MR Cain
..okay???

Bob Smith
Reply to Ralph Skavinsky
What does family have to do with qualifications? If Fitch bought groceries, does that mean he'd be fine as an agriculture or finance minister?

Ralph Skavinsky
Reply to Bob Smith
You fail to see a joke whe it appears..hhmm..interesting!

Graham McCormack

Reply to Dianne MacPherson
I know right. I mean he's only been involved with healthcare for almost 40 years.



Ronald Miller
No one would believe it if it did not happen. The Liberals and their supporters screamed for changes at the top of the health authorities with issues during covid. Higgs made changes, getting rid of Dornan and it was soon after we started reading about improvement after improvement. Then that same person came after the taxpayers of NB for money he was not entitled to, being dismissed under the terms of the contract he signed. Now he is at the very top of the very department the Liberals and their supporters said he was failing to run properly, you just can't make this stuff up.

Bob McVacer
Reply to Ronald Miller
Are you ok, need a hug? The people spoke, move on.

Jos Allaire
Reply to Ronald Miller
The courts said he was entitled to the 💰 ❗

Merry McPherson
Reply to Ronald Miller
Sour grapes from you and everything you just said was a lie other then Higgs fired the good doctor. Higgs got everything he deserved. 48.5% of all the votes went to the liberals and you want to say things that are just not true. The good doctor legally won in a court of law that lawsuit.

Don Corey
Reply to Jos Allaire
The adjudicator got it terribly wrong, and so did the court.

Graham McCormack
Reply to Don Corey
Nope!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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