Veterans out, new faces in as P.E.I. Premier Dennis King unveils cabinet

Prince Edward Island Premier Dennis King unveiled his new cabinet Friday, keeping his promise to include a record number of women and saying goodbye to some ministers to make way for new blood after his Progressive Conservatives racked up a commanding victory in the April 3 election.

The cabinet members were sworn in by Lt.-Gov. Antoinette Perry at the Confederation Centre in Charlottetown.

The new cabinet has become bigger, with 12 members including King. 

Almost half of the cabinet are new faces, while three veteran ministers are out: Matthew MacKay, who was minister of social development and housing; Jamie Fox, who was minister of fisheries and communities; and Darlene Compton, who was deputy premier, minister of agriculture and land, minister of justice and public safety and attorney general.

"They've done a great, tremendous service to P.E.I., and to me personally," King said in an interview with CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. "They are good friends of mine, but just for a variety of different reasons you need to create some new spaces at the table and there are big shoes to fill in those vacancies.

"I wanted to have some experience. I wanted to have some new energy as well."

King told reporters MacKay has young twins and wanted to step back from cabinet, and Compton has his support for a bid for the Speaker's chair when the legislature resumes.

Below are the five new additions to cabinet:

• Gilles Arsenault is minister of economic development, innovation and trade and minister responsible for Acadian and Francophone Affairs.
• Jill Burridge becomes minister of finance.
• Rob Lantz is minister of housing, land and communities.
• Barb Ramsay is minister of social development and seniors.
• Jenn Redmond is minister of workforce, advanced learning and population.

Five ministers changed portfolios:

• Bloyce Thompson becomes deputy premier and moves from minister of economic growth, tourism and culture to minister of agriculture and minister of justice and public safety and attorney general.
• Cory Deagle moves from minister of transportation and infrastructure to minister of fisheries, sport and culture.
• Natalie Jameson's job evolved slightly to minister of education and early years. She was previously minister of education and lifelong learning – the department has been separated into early years and advanced learning. Jameson remains minister responsible for the status of women.
• Ernie Hudson moves from minister of health and wellness to minister of transportation and infrastructure.
• Mark McLane moves from minister of finance to minister of health and wellness.

Steven Myers is the only cabinet member whose position is entirely unchanged. He remains minister of environment, energy and climate action.

King also retains his roles as president of executive council, and minister responsible for intergovernmental affairs and Indigenous relations.

"The biggest issues heading into the election and now heading into the new mandate are really health, you know, and the cost of living and housing. And those are three areas where I have three very very capable people, three very focused departments and I think Islanders are expecting results, and so am I," King said.

One-third of ministers are women

Four members of the new cabinet are women, a record for the province and in line with what King promised just after his party elected six female MLAs.

Going back to 1999, there have never been more than two women in cabinet at the same time, the clerk of the Legislative Assembly told CBC News just after the election.

While advocates see four women in cabinet as a good sign, more work needs to be done, said the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government.

"In the past, we have never had more than two women at a time, so to see four being represented is certainly very positive," said Sweta Daboo, executive director for the coalition. "That being said, at the coalition we are obviously very partial to the idea of a gender-balanced cabinet."

With 12 MLAs in cabinet, the four women will constitute 33 per cent. 

"You do want to make sure at least a third of the folks around the table are from a particularly under-represented group to be able to see this reflected in policy and action you are taking," Daboo said.