Wall shuffles cabinet; pares size, female ratio
After weeks of not-great news for the province, a dose of celebration was had Tuesday by the government.
Premier Brad Wall shuffled his cabinet — thrusting much responsibility on a handful of veterans, but not shying away from naming newer MLAs to significant jobs.
Congratulatory tones were the special of the day for Wall, who spoke highly of those he appointed.
That included praise for Bronwyn Eyre, the Saskatoon Stonebridge-Dakota MLA who was named as the province’s new minister of advanced education.
Eyre, before being elected this April, was an outspoken pundit who has critiqued humanities education and once wrote climate change “sounds like a bit of witchcraft reasoning to me.”
Eyebrows raised in many circles when Wall called her name to cabinet, but the premier defended the decision on Tuesday.
“Here is an individual with an excellent educational background,” he said, adding she has since clarified her comments in regard to climate change. “I’ve appreciated what she’s had to offer.”
Wall likely welcomed a meeting with the media that was easily turned to the positives after a summer that has included the Husky oil spill, a distinct division in race relations and the loss of one of his trusted ministers, Don McMorris. McMorris left the Saskatchewan Party caucus after being charged with impaired driving.
As expected by political insiders, Regina-University MLA Tina Beaudry-Mellor was also named to cabinet. She’ll take on the hefty file of social services as the ministry goes through significant changes, which include clawbacks of benefits to people with disabilities.
“She’s going to do an excellent job in social services,” said Wall, adding he has asked the new minister to “have another look” at the province’s plan to streamline services.
Beaudry-Mellor said her immediate priority is to learn the file.
“Everything right now is on pause so I can have a very good sense of what’s happening,” she said.
Eyre and Beaudry-Mellor make up half of the women in Wall’s 17-member cabinet.
That’s less than one-quarter of the total. When asked if that’s enough, Beaudry-Mellor said, “The number that we have is adequate. Obviously that’s a decision the premier has made based on competence and the overall makeup of cabinet.”
Nancy Heppner, the former highways minister, and Jennifer Campeau, the central services minister, were two of the six who did not return to cabinet. The others were McMorris, Bill Boyd (who asked to be left out of cabinet), Herb Cox (who stepped down while battling cancer) and Mark Docherty.
Christine Tell, who had served as the minister in charge of corrections and policing, remains in cabinet, albeit in a significantly lesser role. The oft-criticized minister’s return to cabinet was a surprise to many, though she’ll have a smaller profile in her new gig as the minister of central services.
Some senior ministers saw their responsibilities grow Tuesday. Gordon Wyant stays on as attorney general and justice minister, but he’ll also have the added role of running the corrections and policing file.
The total cabinet is one fewer than the previous cabinet
Photography, it’s not about seeing as an art. It’s a machine at the end. HANY AL MOULIA Premier Brad Wall shuffled his cabinet — thrusting much responsibility on a handful of veterans, but not shying away from naming newer MLAs to significant jobs.