Two dozen cabinet members always looked too many and it still does. Most of Alberta’s chatterati could go through the list and pick out a few that wouldn’t be missed. Premier Danielle Smith had a great opportunity to send an austerity message. Sadly, she chose not to. Pity..However, in terms of the appointments made to the key ministries, she appears to have achieved a judicious blend of competence and political advantage. Above all, if there's a scrap with Ottawa — as seems likely — this is the cabinet to go with..First however, finance is the key job. It is well-placed in Nate Horner’s hands. Thereafter he quarterbacks four ministries that account for nearly 90% of all the money the Alberta government spends. Top is health, now in the hands of Adrianna LaGrange, her predecessor Jason Copping having lost his seat..As we opined earlier this week, LaGrange having fought the good education fight for four years, merits a promotion to a $25 billion budget (and a change of problems.) Having handled Advanced Education for four years, Demetrios Nikolaides also merits a jump up to the larger (almost $9 billion) budget of K-12 education. This is no sinecure; the battle between parents and the education bureaucracy over who decides what their children are to be taught is real, often bitter and of foundational importance to the future of Alberta. We wish him well..Rajan Sawhney now has Nikolaides’ old portfolio in advanced education. Her appointment is consistent with Smith’s practice of magnanimity to past opponents. Sawnhey was a former leadership candidate, as was Rebecca Schultz, now placed in the front line post of Environment, with the equally exposed Energy post going to Brian Jean..Something of a surprise to those who bet on these things however, was the appointment of Jason Nixon to the high-spending Community Services. Nixon is not remembered as a friend of Smith’s and indeed didn’t make the cabinet cut when she won the party leadership last October. However, now a $10 billion budget has been split between him (Community Services) and Edmonton-doughnut rookie minister Searle Turton (Children’s Services.).It makes intuitive sense in that Nixon voices the aspirations of a core Smith constituency, the rural voters. (Fittingly, he represents Rimbey-Rocky Mountain House-Sundre.).There is also that old saw however, about keeping your friends close and your opponents closer. Certainly, Nixon will have his hands full in Community Services..It is notable that with the afore-mentioned constitutional arm-wrestling with the federal government over energy and the environment before us, Smith has not appointed a minister for intergovernmental affairs..Such appointments are frequently treated elsewhere as a thank-you post, a minister of red carpets and china teacups, to reward a loyalist who must be recognised but lacks the nouse to take on larger responsibilities..One can only conclude that when Smith looks east, she views the situation as too grave to be delegated. The Trudeau Liberals are aggressively pursuing a destructive and often ill-conceived climate-change strategy..It looks as though Smith herself will therefore lead the Alberta government’s response to federal intrusions on the province’s constitutionally mandated right to determine its own energy policies and indeed, even upon how to provide heat and light for Alberta homeowners..Health care is important, education a challenge but relations with Ottawa are Job One. To back her up on the front line, she has chosen Brian Jean (Energy) and Rebecca Schultz (Environment.) .It is in itself, a strong team. The optics however, of these three strong, capable people who last year were fighting with each other over the leadership now pulling together on this key file — any one of then could have made a respectable leader — these optics are strong and inspire confidence..And, if Smith’s team holds on to Alberta’s way through the dying dog days of the Trudeau administration, as the prime minister spends the last of the party’s political capital in his wild quest for net zero by 2030, well… we will forget quickly enough that there are about six more cabinet ministers than we need..Good luck to them all.
