Rankin sets sail with new cabinet

New Nova Scotia Premier Iain Rankin — sworn in Feb. 23 — has named the team he intends to lead into the next provincial election.

He’s unveiled a cabinet featuring prominent roles for his Liberal leadership rivals and rewards for key caucus supporters.

Meanwhile, restructuring and renaming a number of departments, and creating two new offices — equity and anti-racism, and mental health and addictions — signals Rankin will prioritize issues he highlighted during the leadership race, such as the environment, housing and systemic racism.

Labi Kousoulis, the man Rankin edged out for the leadership, gets a boatload of hefty jobs linked to the economy, including finance, the renamed Department of Inclusive Economic Growth (formerly Business), Treasury Board and responsibility for trade.

Given the province’s massive deficit due to the pandemic, Kousoulis’s upcoming first budget will be closely watched.

Randy Delorey takes on the senior roles of justice minister and attorney general. He’ll also serve as minister of labour relations.

With a federal-provincial independent inquiry into last year’s shooting massacre in Nova Scotia looming, Delorey’s portfolios will be in the spotlight.

Kelly Regan, who had been widely expected to contest the leadership but chose not to run, becomes deputy premier and minister of the Department of Seniors. She keeps Community Services, with responsibility for the Advisory Council on the Status of Women.

Rankin’s 17-member cabinet boasts three newcomers, all early caucus backers of the premier’s leadership bid.

Keith Irving, MLA for Kings South, gets the most prominent role, becoming minister of the renamed Department of Environment and Climate Change.

With the premier’s emphasis on tackling climate change, Irving’s performance will get a lot of attention.

Rankin’s other caucus supporters, Brendan Maguire (Halifax Atlantic) and Ben Jessome (Hammonds Plains-Lucasville), take over Municipal Affairs and the Public Service Commission, respectively.

Zach Churchill’s reasonably deft handling of education earns him the tough job of minister of the Department of Health and Wellness.

Nova Scotia has had three different health ministers during the pandemic — Delorey, Leo Glavine (after Delorey stepped down last fall to seek the leadership) and now Churchill. Hard to avoid given the circumstances, but clearly not optimal.

Chuck Porter (Hants West) is now responsible for Energy and Mines and Lands and Forestry.

Derek Mombourquette gets a big promotion to education.

Although Geoff MacLellan will not be reoffering in the next election, the Glace Bay MLA will stay in cabinet to lead the new Department of Infrastructure and Housing. No doubt, Rankin wanted to retain MacLellan as government House Leader.

Keeping MacLellan maintains a tradition of having two Cape Bretoners in cabinet while keeping the Liberal profile high in a riding expected to be fiercely contested in the next election.

With just seven female MLAs on the government’s benches, gender equity was not doable. Rankin included four women in his cabinet.

Meanwhile, two powerful, though unelected, members of Rankin’s team were already in place — chief of staff Joanne Macrae, gatekeeper for access to the premier, and principal secretary Dale Palmeter, Rankin’s top policy adviser and overseer of the government’s agenda.

Both have extensive federal Liberal contacts.