The Weekly Roundup - June 13, 2023
With cabinet appointed on Friday by Premier Danielle Smith and a sitting of the Legislature not set to begin for four-plus months, the Premier can spend the summer months doing the type of retail politics that she excels at; meeting Albertans where they are at while attending various barbeques, rodeos and other events in their communities. A summer of visiting Albertans in their hometowns, flipping burgers and pancakes and listening to their feedback is likely to do wonders for the unity of both her caucus and the United Conservative Party at large following the divisive leadership race of 2022.
Meanwhile in Ottawa, MPs are looking toward the finish line of their sitting before getting back to their home ridings for the summer. The final stretch of two weeks is a time for the party leaders to remind their MPs to keep their heads down and stay on message, likely with varying results.
Below, you’ll find the other top federal and provincial stories of the week.
Top Federal Stories of the Week
A week can be a lifetime in Canadian politics. Since our last edition of the Roundup, Special Rapporteur David Johnston resigned from his role, stating that he will add a brief final report to his work by the end of the month but will not oversee public hearings. Opposition parties are united in continuing to call for a public inquiry, but have yet to meet to decide on terms of reference they’d like to propose to government for said inquiry.
The surprise departure of Justice Russell Brown yesterday from the Supreme Court of Canada, rather than proceeding with a review from the Canadian Judicial Council of a complaint against Brown leaves a seat open on the country’s top court. An appointment by Trudeau would mean 6 of 9 justices were appointed on the advice of the current Prime Minister. There will be an expectation that the replacement comes from a western province.
Top Alberta Stories of the Week
Cabinet ministers were named on Friday, and while there are many familiar faces around the cabinet table of 25 (including Smith in Intergovernmental Relations), there are some key changes in high profile portfolios. This includes Nate Horner being tasked with delivering a balanced budget as Minister of Finance and President of Treasury Board. With a tight margin on confidence votes due to the size of caucus, the role of Whip going to Shane Getson will be an important one.
The appointments to cabinet include:
All challengers from the 2022 UCP leadership race in cabinet; Brian Jean (Energy and Minerals), Rebecca Schulz (Environment and Protected Areas), Todd Loewen (Forestry and Parks) and Rajan Sawhney (Advanced Education)
Solid representation from Calgary; Mike Ellis (Deputy Premier and Public Safety/Emergency Services), Mickey Amery (Justice), Demetrios Nicolaides (Education), Muhammad Yaseen (Immigration and Multiculturalism), Matt Jones (Jobs, Economy and Trade), Tanya Fir (Arts, Culture and Status of Women) and Ric McIver (Municipal Affairs)
A nod to the Edmonton area; Searle Turton (Children and Family Services), Dale Nally (Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction) and Nate Glubish (Technology and Innovation)
You can view the full cabinet list here.
In addition to the cabinet appointments made this week, there were changes made to the Deputy Minister ranks as Premier Smith makes more permanent changes to the administration of government in Alberta. A full list of the changes is available here, while additional information on all DMs can be found here.
Rachel Notley is here to stay, for now, anyways. This morning the Opposition Leader revealed that she is taking time to consider her future as leader of the NDP. With a long runway before the Legislature sits at the end of October for the Speech from the Throne and fall session, she has plenty of time to mull over the election result and her future in the party.
Upcoming Events Calendar
June 19, 2023: Byelections will be held in four federal ridings (all seats are considered to be safe for their respective incumbent party)
June 20, 2023: Election of presiding officers for the Alberta Legislative Assembly
October 30, 2023: Alberta Speech from the Throne and start of fall session