Outgoing Prime Minister Jason Kenney announced several changes to the cabinet on Tuesday afternoon, including new environment and parks, infrastructure, transportation and children’s services ministers, according to an Alberta government press release.
The temporary appointment of Jason Nixon as Acting Minister of Finance has become permanent. The former Minister of Environment and Parks was asked to fill after Travis Toews, the former finance minister and chairman of the Treasury Board, resigned to seek UCP leadership.
Calgary MP Whitney Issik will take over as Minister of the Environment and Parks, while her previous role as Associate Minister for Women’s Status will be held by Jackie Armstrong Homeniuk, the Fort Saskatchewan-Vegreville MP.
Prasad Panda has moved from infrastructure to the transportation portfolio, while Calgary-Currie MP Nicholas Milliken has taken over as infrastructure minister.
Calgary-South East MP Matt Jones will be the new child services minister, a role that was left vacant when Rebecca Schultz chose to run for the UCP leadership. Jason Luan, the Minister of Social and Community Services, had been acting as Minister of Child Services for the past week.
Brad Rutherford, a Leduc-Beaumont MP and deputy government minister, becomes a government leader and a minister without a portfolio.
The government also announced some changes outside the cabinet:
- Deputies Tracy Allard and Jackie Lovely have been appointed to the Treasury Board.
- Justice Minister Tyler Shandro has been appointed chair of the community and family cabinet policy committee.
- The Minister of Education, Adriana LaGrange, has been appointed to the committee of the priority implementation cabinet.
Following a leadership review in May, Kenney announced that he would step down as leader of the United Conservative Party. His replacement is expected to be elected in October.