Pallister overhauls lineup Health, justice, education posts among changes; first Black cabinet minister leads new portfolio By: Larry Kusch and Carol Sanders Posted: 9:29 AM CST Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 Last Modified: 7:04 PM CST Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2021 Updates

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In the midst of the pandemic, Premier Brian Pallister has overhauled his front bench, replacing his health minister, and added three new faces to his inner circle, including Manitoba’s first Black cabinet minister.

In a low-key ceremony in an ornate meeting room at the Legislative Building Tuesday, Pallister named Tuxedo MLA Heather Stefanson as the province’s new minister of health, replacing Cameron Friesen, who assumes responsibility for the justice portfolio.

Cliff Cullen, who oversaw justice and served as attorney general since October 2019, becomes the province’s education minister.

Among other key moves, Rochelle Squires moves from municipal relations to families, and Kelvin Goertzen, who had been spearheading the province’s school reforms as education minister, becomes deputy premier and head of the newly formed ministry of legislative and public affairs.

Pallister bristled when asked if Friesen had been demoted or had requested to be removed from the high-stress health portfolio.

"I’ve got a tremendous amount of respect for Cameron Friesen — otherwise he wouldn’t be our new justice minister and attorney general," the premier told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.

Friesen became health minister more than two years ago without knowing COVID-19 was on the horizon, the premier said.

"I don’t think there’s a person in this province who would’ve wanted the job that he undertook to do as a leader in our Health Department over the last number of months. He’s worked diligently and very, very hard on that file."

Pallister wouldn’t say if Friesen asked to be moved off the health hot seat.

"It’s what the premier wants — let’s be clear," he said, referring to himself in the third person. 

"What the premier wants is to make sure people who are capable are in roles of responsibility and that’s what the premier got today."

Friesen was seen beaming from ear to ear when he temporarily removed his mask at the ceremony for a photo with Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon.

He did not speak to the media afterwards.

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Normally, cabinet swearing-in ceremonies are jammed with MLAs, government officials, family members and journalists. But Tuesday’s event was noticeably different due to health protocols.

The room was mostly empty, with the nine ministers — three new ones and a half-dozen others changing jobs — arriving in groups of three to be sworn in and departing before the next cohort arrived.

The premier appointed the province’s first Black cabinet minister — Southdale MLA Audrey Gordon, who becomes minister for mental health, wellness and recovery. The province now has a second health minister, as it did under the previous NDP administration.

Also joining cabinet are Lac du Bonnet MLA Wayne Ewasko, who takes on the new advanced education, skills and immigration portfolio, and Interlake-Gimli MLA Derek Johnson, who assumes responsibility over municipal relations.

With the three additions, Pallister’s cabinet grows to 18 members, from 15, making it nearly as large as during the dying days of the former NDP government.

NDP Leader Wab Kinew said he believes the motivation behind the cabinet shuffle was the need for Pallister to revive his government’s "sagging political fortunes" as a result of its mismanagement of the COVID-19 health crisis.

"The bottom line is that Mr. Pallister fired his health minister, and he did so in the middle of the pandemic," Kinew said. "That is not good for Manitoba, but unfortunately, it is a reflection of Mr. Friesen and Mr. Pallister’s failings."

Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said no minister was demoted in the cabinet shuffle, calling it "a sign that nobody will be held to account for any of the mistakes that have been made over the last many months."

Meanwhile, Pallister said that Goertzen’s new role as minister of legislative and public affairs "is to improve our levels of communication — transmitting information openly, making information available and also processing and making sure that our government works better internally in the way in which it develops legislation, the way in which it  communicates it and the way in which it involves Manitobans."

Moving Goertzen out of education in the middle of a pandemic with an overhaul of the K-12 education system expected this year isn’t a concern, the premier said.

"There’s no perfect time for doing a shuffle," he said.

Squires, who takes over as families minister, has a unique perspective in coming to the job, Pallister said.

"This is a woman who, as a teen mom, was forced to live on welfare, and is now the person in charge of welfare," he said.

"These are inspirational people with inspirational accomplishments," he said of his cabinet. "I have great confidence in them and affection for them."  

 

larry.kusch@freepress.mb.ca

carol.sanders@freepress.mb.ca