CALGARY — As the separatist sentiment continues in the prairies, members of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new federal cabinet will take aim at improving national unity.
Toronto MP Chrystia Freeland, who was born in Alberta, takes on the role of deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs. It means the former foreign affairs minister is now tasked with working with Canada’s premiers, including conservative-minded leaders in the west.
“[Trudeau] has basically chosen his highest profile minister, in terms of capability and managing difficult files, to go into intergovernmental affairs,” said MRU political scientist Lori Williams.
“He recognizes regional divisions in Canada are a huge problem for his government.”
Winnipeg MP and former natural resources minister Jim Carr will also take on the task of trying to bridge the gap between the prairies and Ottawa. Though not in cabinet, Carr was named a special representative for the prairies.
Alberta premier Jason Kenney congratulated members of the new cabinet, but made it clear Alberta needs to be heard and should be a priority for the federal government.
“With no ministers from Alberta, I hope that ministers with portfolios of especially urgent interest to our province will listen to Albertans, take our concerns seriously, and work constructively with the Alberta government to address them,” Kenney said in a statement.
Newfoundland MP Seamus O’Regan will have to handle Canada’s pipeline issue and a struggling oil and gas industry as the new minister of natural resources.
The Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers says the energy industry can be a big part of the solution to Canada’s economic woes, but only if proper federal policies are in place.
“We can also deliver significant emission reductions in the global fight against climate change and be a key component of Indigenous reconciliation through the economic opportunities offered by resource development,” said CAPP CEO Tim McMillan in a statement.
“The Prime Minister’s cabinet appointments reveal that the government recognizes these same challenges,” he said.
