The St. Albert region might have more MLAs sitting at the cabinet table, but the clout has greatly diminished.
Once home to Alberta’s Finance and Education ministers – a couple of the most powerful positions in cabinet – the region is now home to the minister responsible for Service Alberta, Culture and Tourism, and a new ministry simply called Seniors.
Right or wrong, Jim Prentice had little choice but to leave Spruce Grove-St. Albert MLA Doug Horner out of cabinet. The government plane flap and his key role in the Alison Redford regime were enough for Alberta’s 16th premier to take a pass on the former Finance minister – for now. Horner is now a senior adviser to Prentice on Internal Trade and Federal and Provincial Relations, so he will still have the premier’s ear. Horner simply has too much experience and knowledge to be left out of cabinet indefinitely, and time has a way of taking care of things. Once the Redford era begins to fade into the shadows, look for Horner’s star to rise again.
St. Albert MLA Stephen Khan gets another shot at cabinet, this time in the Service Alberta portfolio. Armed with more experience and savvy than when Redford put him in charge of Enterprise and Advanced Education, Khan now has the opportunity to prove himself in a less demanding ministry.
Morinville MLA Maureen Kubinec received Culture and Tourism. This ministry is also on the lower end of the totem pole in terms of power and responsibility, but Kubenic’s presence at the cabinet table is a reminder of the good ol’ days when Ken Kowalski wielded his clout.
Athabasca-Redwater MLA Jeff Johnson remains in cabinet, but he’s demoted to the newly formed Seniors Ministry. Johnson suffers from the same Redforditis affliction that Horner has, but Johnson also had a hand in his demotion over his handling of the much-maligned Task Force on Teaching Excellence. The mighty Alberta Teachers’ Association ripped Johnson apart for not including it in building recommendations to enhance teaching excellence – talk about poking the proverbial bear with a stick.
The St. Albert region has more – and less – at the cabinet table. In a smaller cabinet, however, perhaps the collective voices of our ministers will be heard that much more.
