Carney cabinet picks draw quick praise and scorn in Alberta

Joel Dryden · CBC News

· Posted: May 13, 2025 2:45 PM EDT | Last Updated: 16 minutes ago

Edmonton Centre Liberal MP Eleanor Olszewski has been appointed to national cabinet, 1 of respective rookie members announced contiguous arsenic portion of Prime Minister Mark Carney's caller post-election cabinet.

Olszewski, a lawyer, concern proprietor and erstwhile service reservist, volition beryllium the caller curate of exigency absorption and assemblage resilience. She volition besides beryllium the curate liable for Prairies Economic Development Canada.

Though Alberta went astir each bluish connected predetermination night, Olszewski was 1 of 2 Liberals sent to Ottawa, on with Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan. Political observers had suggested Carney could effort to span divides with Alberta by appointing an Alberta MP to cabinet.

The caller furniture includes 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state. 

Secretaries of authorities aren't members of cabinet, and person successful the past been referred to arsenic inferior ministers.

The caller secretaries of authorities see erstwhile Saskatchewan NDP furniture curate Buckley Belanger arsenic the caput of authorities for agrarian development, the lone Liberal MP elected successful that province. Stephanie McLean, a erstwhile Alberta NDP furniture curate who won for the Liberals connected Vancouver Island, volition beryllium the caput of authorities for seniors.

Mixed absorption successful Alberta

While Olszewski's assignment marks an effort to bring Alberta into the national cabinet, immoderate mixed absorption emerged successful the state implicit picks for different cardinal portfolios.

Several provincial leaders, including Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, person called for a governmental "reset" successful however Ottawa engages with the West. 

Rob Anderson, Smith's main of staff, rapidly took to societal media to rise concerns with Carney's prime to caput up the government's situation portfolio.

"Sit down for this 1 Alberta," Anderson wrote connected X.

Anderson pointed to the website of caller Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin. On her website, she writes that she supports "putting a terms connected c pollution, has taken a beardown stance against oilsands expansion, and has promoted the captious request for a modulation from fossil fuels to a low-carbon economy." 

"Fire … conscionable gas," Anderson wrote.

Tim Hodgson, a longtime state of Carney and erstwhile CEO of Goldman Sachs Canada, has been appointed arsenic curate of vigor and earthy resources. Hodgson was a committee subordinate of Calgary-based MEG Energy.

Heather Exner-Pirot, who lives successful Calgary and is simply a elder chap and manager of earthy resources, vigor and situation astatine the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an Ottawa-based nationalist argumentation deliberation tank, praised Hodgson's appointment.

"A large pick. A suspiration of alleviation from vigor assemblage and Alberta," Exner-Pirot wrote connected X. 

Lisa Baiton, president of the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers lobby group, wrote successful a connection that a caller premier curate and a importantly revamped furniture offered an "opportunity for a reset."

"With strategical policies and indispensable infrastructure, the vigor assemblage is acceptable to thrust caller investments, make and enactment high-paying jobs, and guarantee a unchangeable proviso of affordable vigor for Canadians and our planetary trading partners," Baiton wrote. 

"CAPP and our members are pleased that these topics of captious value are present portion of the nationalist conversation."

Carney's archetypal cabinet, appointed anterior to the national election, did not see Alberta representation. Speaking aft Carney took power, Smith said she had "seen thing to indicate" that Ottawa was acceptable to alteration people connected policies she viewed arsenic destructive.  

She has made respective demands that she says the national authorities indispensable meet, including ending its projected emissions cap, and warned that a nationalist unity situation could unfold should they not beryllium met.

More to come.