Carney cabinet picks draw quick praise and scorn in Alberta

Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Eleanor Olszewski has been appointed to federal cabinet, one of several rookie members announced today as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney's new post-election cabinet.

Olszewski, a lawyer, business owner and former army reservist, will be the new minister of emergency management and community resilience. She will also be the minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Though Alberta went nearly all blue on election night, Olszewski was one of two Liberals sent to Ottawa, along with Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan. Political observers had suggested Carney could attempt to bridge divides with Alberta by appointing an Alberta MP to cabinet.

In an interview, Hogan said while he would have liked to have been in cabinet, that's "true of literally every MP."

"The reality is, cabinet-making is a tricky art. You've got to balance skillset. You've got to balance demography, geography — all of those things," he said. "I'm excited for the cabinet, though, I think it's a great cabinet. It's going to do great work for the country. Eleanor is going to be a fantastic cabinet minister."

The new cabinet includes 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state. 

Secretaries of state aren't members of cabinet, and have in the past been referred to as junior ministers.

The new secretaries of state include former Saskatchewan NDP cabinet minister Buckley Belanger as the secretary of state for rural development, the only Liberal MP elected in that province. Stephanie McLean, a former Alberta NDP cabinet minister who won for the Liberals on Vancouver Island, will be the secretary of state for seniors.

Mixed reaction in Alberta

While Olszewski's appointment marks an effort to bring Alberta into the federal cabinet, some mixed reaction emerged in the province over picks for other key portfolios.

Several provincial leaders, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, have called for a political "reset" in how Ottawa engages with the West. 

Rob Anderson, Smith's chief of staff, quickly took to social media to raise concerns with Carney's pick to head up the government's environment portfolio.

"Sit down for this one Alberta," Anderson wrote on X.

Anderson pointed to the website of new Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin. On her website, she writes that she supports "putting a price on carbon pollution, has taken a strong stance against oilsands expansion, and has promoted the critical need for a transition from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy." 

"Fire … meet gas," Anderson wrote.

Later in the day, Smith released a statement, writing that she was "very concerned" about Dabrusin's appointment.

"We are being forced to contend with yet another 'keep it in the ground' environment minister. This is a step in the wrong direction," Smith wrote. 

"I will continue to do everything in my power to negotiate a fair deal for Alberta with the new prime minister. Albertans will not stand for the status quo from Ottawa. If the prime minister is serious about resetting the relationship between Ottawa and Alberta, then we need meaningful action now, not more of the same."

Carney's first cabinet, appointed prior to the federal election, did not include Alberta representation. Speaking after Carney took power, Smith said she had "seen nothing to indicate" that Ottawa was set to change course on policies she viewed as destructive.  

She has made several demands that she says the federal government must meet, including ending its proposed emissions cap, and warned that a national unity crisis could unfold should they not be met.

Praise for energy minister

Tim Hodgson, a longtime ally of Carney and former CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada, has been appointed as minister of energy and natural resources. Hodgson was a board member of Calgary-based MEG Energy.

Heather Exner-Pirot, who lives in Calgary and is a senior fellow and director of natural resources, energy and environment at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an Ottawa-based public policy think tank, praised Hodgson's appointment.

"A great pick. A sigh of relief from energy sector and Alberta," Exner-Pirot wrote on X. 

Darlene Gates, president and chief executive officer of MEG Energy, said she hadn't worked with Hodgson while he was on the company's board of directors from 2016 to 2019. However, she said board members who did work with him remembered him as a "very strong director, with impressive capital markets experience."

"He was collaborative, hardworking and focused on the company's success. He gained an in-depth perspective of the opportunities and challenges of our industry, which will be helpful in his new role," she wrote in an email.

Adam Legge, president of the Business Council of Alberta, said Hodgson was, from an energy sector standpoint, "probably the best choice" that could have been made.

"He understands the industry. He understands the challenges, quite frankly. He would have understood the difficulties that the oil and gas sector encountered with the federal government over the past 10 years," Legge said.

Mount Royal University political science professor Lori Williams said Hodgson's credibility in the industry could make him a good fit to work with executives in the sector on energy policy.

"Somebody with that kind of seniority experience and relationship with Mark Carney, I think can send a pretty clear signal of what the priorities are. And I actually think Mark Carney is going to have a significant oversight role on this as well," she said. "He knows it's an area that is a real sore spot."

Oil lobby group looks for 'opportunity for a reset'

Lisa Baiton, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers lobby group, wrote in a statement that a new prime minister and a significantly revamped cabinet offered an "opportunity for a reset."

"With strategic policies and necessary infrastructure, the energy sector is ready to drive new investments, create and support high-paying jobs, and ensure a stable supply of affordable energy for Canadians and our global trading partners," Baiton wrote. 

"CAPP and our members are pleased that these topics of critical significance are now part of the national conversation."

Kendall Dilling, president of the Pathways Alliance, a consortium of Canada's largest oilsands companies, congratulated and welcomed the new cabinet.

"We look forward to collaboratively working with the new cabinet and all members of Parliament on our shared priorities of growing our resource economy, strengthening Canada's economy and advancing environmental innovation and projects, including carbon capture and storage," Dilling wrote in a statement.

Legge said the Business Council of Alberta would be looking to see a "strong narrative of a position coming from the federal government, that Canada is open for business."

"That Canada will produce and export oil and gas resources and send them to countries all around the world, our allies around the world," he said.

"We are taking a different approach. We will not be sending global leaders home empty-handed when they ask for Canada to send our energy resources to their countries. That simply has to end, and hopefully we can get a strong narrative of that nature right out of the gate."