At the table
MacLellan, Mombourquette named to cabinet
Cape Breton will continue to have two voices at the provincial cabinet table with the shuffling of Geoff MacLellan to portfolios including Business and the addition of Derek Mombourquette in Municipal Affairs.
Premier Stephen McNeil’s 17-member cabinet was sworn in at a ceremony at Pier 21 in Halifax Thursday.
After serving as minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal, MacLellan returns to cabinet in the portfolios of Business, Energy, Service Nova Scotia and Trade and will serve as government house leader.
“It’s tremendous responsibility to be given the honour of being the minister in charge of such important portfolios along with the leader in the house for the government,” MacLellan said
in a phone interview from Halifax following the swearingin ceremony. “It also comes with a lot of important work that I have to learn in a hurry and be up to speed on all the respective files and also I have to perform.
“I’ll have to manage many of those duties associated with my departments along with my priority, which is the people of Glace Bay.”
Mombourquette was first elected the Liberal MLA for Sydney-Whitney Pier in a byelection in 2015. He had previously served one term as a Cape Breton Regional Municipal councillor.
He was one of three new members added to executive council, along with Patricia Arab and Iain Rankin.
“I’m very excited, very honoured to have the opportunity to be minister,” Mombourquette said in a phone interview. “I was a councillor and I learned a lot through that process, I have a tremendous amount of respect for the work that local governments do in communities across the province.
“My goal as minister is going to be to have an extremely strong relationship with all communities as well as the UNSM to ensure that we can work together to help grow communities across the province and grow together as a province.”
Mombourquette added he intends to be very accessible as minister.
Another of Stephen McNeil’s most trusted lieutenants, longtime MLA Michel Samson, who had served as energy minister and house leader, went down to defeat in Cape Breton-Richmond in the May 30 vote.
MacLellan was first elected in a byelection in 2010 and was named to cabinet in 2013. He planned to get off to a running start, with briefings on the various portfolios Thursday. He said he believes he has a natural affinity for areas such as Business and admitted he has a learning curve in Energy, particularly in the role of protecting ratepayers in the relationship with Nova Scotia Power.
“Tidal energy, the renewables, how they impact on our province, so there’s a lot to learn in the many different areas that I’m now responsible for, but it’s one day at a time, and it’s making sure that I’m allocating time when I’m in Halifax to learn and understand these important files,” MacLellan said.
“It’s certainly going to be a time management issue, but I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
He will also serve as minister of trade at a critical time with the U.S. taking increasingly protectionist stances. In particular, MacLellan cited concerns over trade issues involving softwood lumber and seafood.
“This is going to be one that is certainly going to be busy … there will be some hot topics and some sensitive issues that I’ll have to be fully engaged in when the time comes,” he said.
The Department of Business does not currently have an office in Cape Breton. MacLellan said that is an option but he thinks it’s the elected officials and their representatives that have to drive economic development efforts.
“If there’s support staff that’s required, then obviously we could take a look at that,” he said. “For me, I’m going to be on the ground, I’m going to be very much privy to the options that we have and the potential developments that we could see in Cape Breton. Obviously the port and tourism and many other areas are included in that.”
MacLellan said he will work with the mayor and council and local stakeholders in the private sector.
“I’ll make sure that we do everything we can to bring jobs to the island and keep our people home.”
Mombourquette is becoming Minister of Municipal Affairs at a time when the CBRM is seeking a municipal charter to give it greater freedom in a number of areas including taxation.
He said Mayor Cecil Clarke had already briefly reached out to him shortly after the swearing-in ceremony but they haven’t had any discussions yet on the charter. Mombourquette said he expected to have a longer conversation with Clarke later in the day on a number of issues.
He said he believes it’s important that Cape Breton has a second voice in cabinet, adding he looks forward to working with MacLellan.
“You have two voices at the cabinet table representing the island and that’s a very important piece of this job for me, we heard loud and clear during the election some of the concerns from people at the doorstep, some of the things they were happy with, some of the things that they believe we need to work on and I’m going to do my best to advocate for the entire island.”
Clarke said Mombourquette has already indicated he would like to meet next week. He said both Mombourquette and MacLellan are responsible for portfolios that are of great importance to Cape Breton.
Randy Delorey was named the new Health Minister, at a time when the doctor shortage in Cape Breton has been described as a crisis and there is almost a year-long wait for local mental health referrals. Karen Casey was moved from Education to Finance and will serve as deputy premier, while Zach Churchill moved to Education.