Houston aims for gender balance
Comer, MacMaster expected to be in line for cabinet positions
Gender, geography and talent, but not necessarily in that order, figure most prominently in premier-designate Tim Houston's first effort at cabinet-making.
Today we drop “designate” from Houston's honorific when he's sworn-in as Nova Scotia's 30th premier along with the rest of the executive council — cabinet — giving Nova Scotia the Progressive Conservative government Tories have been waiting for since the last one was defeated in 2009.
Diversity is the one element absent from Houston's cabinet calculations and absent from his cabinet. Among the few disappointments for the Tories on election night, was that none of their candidates from visible minority groups was elected.
Four African-Nova Scotians (the most ever) were elected to the legislature on Aug. 17, but all will sit on the opposition side of the house (three Liberals and a New Democrat).
Many of the 16 Tories who were re-elected two weeks ago will find their way into cabinet but a few will have to settle for lesser roles — committee chairs, caucus leadership positions, that sort of thing — and take a seat on the backbenches.
Only three women are among those 16 incumbents and Houston wants gender balance — to the extent possible — in his cabinet, so he needs to look to the rookies to find more women.
The three re-elected women — Karla MacFarlane (Pictou West), Barb Adams (Eastern Passage) and Kim Masland (Queens) — will get cabinet, or cabinet level, posts (if they want one). The Speaker is a “cabinet level” post in terms of pay and perks, and it comes without the headaches that go along with the title “minister.”
Geographic balance isn't a big problem for Houston, because Tories were elected provincewide, with the notable exception of the Halifax side of the Halifax Regional Municipality.
His tough decisions come where he has an embarrassment of riches or, at least, of MLAs.
For example, experienced Tories won both Sackville seats in suburban HRM and all three in Pictou County.
Both Brad Johns (SackvilleUniacke) and Steve Craig (Sackville-Cobequid) were steady performers in Opposition, and both are “cabinet material,” but it's hard to imagine Houston will find room in his cabinet for both.
Pictou County is another matter.
Houston himself is from Pictou East. Pat Dunn (Pictou Centre) is the only member of the PC caucus with cabinet experience (he served in Premier Rodney MacDonald's cabinet from 2006-09).
Karla MacFarlane excelled as interim PC leader in 2018 and is likely the one member of the Tory caucus who can write her own ticket to the cabinet post she wants.
All three Pictou County MLAs will get cabinet, or cabinet level, appointments.
It is a mug's game to try to presage cabinet picks and posts, so let's just take a shot at some of the picks.
In addition to Houston, Dunn and the three re-elected women, the incumbent MLAs likely headed for cabinet are Tim Halman (Dartmouth East); Tory Rushton (Cumberland South); Dave Ritcey (Truro and environs); Colton LeBlanc (Argyle — one of three Acadian seats); Brian Comer (Cape Breton East); Allan MacMaster (Inverness); and one of the two Sackville Tories.
One thing to watch for today is whether Houston names a minister for the new department of mental health and addictions he promised, or waits to reorganize and create the new department before naming its minister.
John Lohr (Kings North) would be a popular choice as minister of the new department. He was the opposition critic for mental health and addictions and has a deep commitment to that aspect of health care.
As the above names indicate, the incumbents are overwhelmingly male, which means Houston will look to the rookies to bring some gender balance to his government.
Among the 15 Tories elected for the first time on Aug. 17, six are women. Houston will elevate at least three of them to cabinet, and possibly more.
Jill Balser (Digby-Annapolis) and Melissa SheehyRichard (Hants West) would give the cabinet the heft it needs from the Valley. Expect one, and possibly both, to be named.
On the South Shore, newcomers Becky Druhan (Lunenburg West), Susan Corkum-Greek (Lunenburg) or Danielle Barkhouse (Chester-St. Margaret's) would provide a second — required — cabinet minister from there. Only one is likely to get the call, and the smart money is on Druhan because, like it or not, being a lawyer gives her the inside track.
The other woman elected for the first time is Michelle Thompson (Antigonish), a nurse and cabinet shoo-in if not for geography. Her seat is next door to the three Pictou seats.
The 31 seats the PCs won gave Houston almost all the choices he could ask for — except diversity. Today we find out how he uses them, but it will be weeks or months before we know if he used them wisely.