(Photo: UPEI)
A cabinet of 38 federal members was sworn in on Tuesday.
Political Science Professor at the University of Prince Edward Island Don Desserud feels it’s unusual the number of Ministers chosen from Atlantic Canada, “It’s always an interesting event when a cabinet is formed and you try to find a pattern and what the agenda is and what the Prime Minister has in mind, but we tend to overthink things. In a lot of cases, what a Prime Minister will do is follow a lot of traditions, and decide who he feels is competent and can get the job done. But, here in Atlantic Canada we have a good share of Ministers this time. It is unusual to have two Ministers from New Brunswick and two from Newfoundland and Labrador. We also have one from Nova Scotia and another from Prince Edward Island.”
He believes when the Prime Minister chose his Ministers, he kept with his promise for gender parity, but Desserud also feels, there could have been even more women given a cabinet portfolio..
As for Chrystia Freeland remaining in the role of Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister, Desserud says this was no surprise, “She is obviously very capable and obviously the Prime Minister feels she is very capable. I think she has a lot of respect and experience that he needs and he wants to keep her close by.”
