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Along with the new ministry of Aboriginal Affairs, Michael Gravelle becomes the new Minister of Northern Development and Mines.

From the Winnipeg Free Press ...

Ontario cabinet: Bryant to Aboriginal Affairs, Duncan to Finance, sources say

Oct 29, 2007 - Keith Leslie And Chinta Puxley, THE CANADIAN PRESS
 
TORONTO - Brazen, media-savvy Michael Bryant will head up a more activist Aboriginal Affairs ministry and "make some noise" to help the Ontario government manage a growing tide of First Nations unrest, sources said Monday as Premier Dalton McGuinty's new Liberal cabinet began taking shape.

McGuinty's biggest move was the least surprising: former energy minister Dwight Duncan, who was finance minister for seven months during a brief cabinet upheaval in 2005, will take the job again, replacing the retiring Greg Sorbara, long a trusted McGuinty lieutenant.

Former post-secondary education minister Chris Bentley, lauded by his peers as a smart, well-spoken cabinet asset and a potential leadership candidate, will replace Bryant in the high-profile job of attorney general, sources told The Canadian Press.

McGuinty, meanwhile, is staying the course with his two biggest ministries, keeping Health Minister George Smitherman and Education Minister Kathleen Wynne at the helm of their key portfolios. Sources say he's also bringing former Toronto city councillor Brad Duguid into the cabinet fold.

Duncan will also become chairman of Ontario's Management Board of Cabinet, a top position in McGuinty's decision-making inner circle.

Sources also said Liberal veteran Gerry Phillips is taking over the Energy portfolio from Duncan, while former Ottawa mayor Jim Watson gets promoted from health promotion minister to Municipal Affairs and Housing.

But it's the decision to put the 41-year-old Bryant - a telegenic, Harvard-educated lawyer by trade with a fondness for media stunts and carefully scripted sound bites - in charge of one of the Ontario government's most incendiary files that signals the clearest course of action.

Sources said McGuinty wants Bryant to not only work with the aboriginal community, but also press Ottawa for action in the face of lingering and escalating native disputes, including an ongoing occupation in Caledonia, Ont., which is now nearing its two-year anniversary.

Bryant, who focused on aboriginal affairs during his studies at Harvard, is being "charged with taking the bull by the horns" and people can expect some "dramatic" announcements in the coming months, a Liberal source said.

"He's looking forward to it," the source said, adding the Ministry of Aboriginal Affairs isn't going to be a secondary portfolio. "He's being charged with plunging in and solving things . . . He's being told to go in there and make noise. He's going to force it onto the agenda."

By giving the portfolio to a senior, high-profile minister, the premier is signalling he's taking the file seriously, another senior source said. Bryant will also serve as Liberal house leader, the source added.

"He's one of our brightest people in cabinet and one of the most skilled communicators."

Bryant's legal background and familiarity with the inquiry into the fatal'95 shooting of aboriginal protester Dudley George - including a key recommendation for a stand-alone Aboriginal Affairs ministry - makes him a good fit for the job, said Ontario Regional Chief Angus Toulouse.

"Hopefully we can continue the good work that's been initiated and look forward to a relationship building with the First Nation leadership in Ontario," Toulouse said. Bryant will have to restart talks to share the province's gambling revenues with aboriginal communities and calm growing frustrations about land claims, he added.

"I hope that him being a senior member of the provincial cabinet is going to raise the level of discussion," said Toulouse. "We have a number of issues."

David Caplan, who weathered the scandal over insider wins at the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., will stay at his post as Minister of Public Infrastructure and Renewal, sources said late Monday.

Despite the many familiar faces in key positions, Liberal sources said McGuinty wanted to use his cabinet makeup to signal plans for an activist government that will push for improvements in health care, education, environmental protection and the economy.

"They presented me with a real challenge as premier when it comes to putting my cabinet together because I have been blessed with an abundance of talent," McGuinty said after Monday's 90-minute caucus meeting.

"I will do my very best to be fair to the caucus members, but especially to the people of Ontario, to ensure that they are represented in every possible way in our new cabinet."

Duncan held the Finance post for seven months beginning late in 2005 and even tabled the 2006 budget while Sorbara stepped down briefly during a police investigation over a land deal. Duncan returned to Energy when Sorbara was cleared of wrongdoing.

The women's lobby group Equal Voice has urged McGuinty to match Quebec Premier Jean Charest's cabinet make-up of 50 per cent women, but Economic Development Minister Sandra Pupatello said she's not in favour of such targets.

"I still don't like those kinds of (criteria) to have to meet, actually," said Pupatello. "I think he does have to choose people who are the most qualified. I anticipate his cabinet make-up will be as it's been before (with) very good female representation." Before learning of his switch to Aboriginal Affairs, Bryant said his five-year-old daughter was a little confused by the whole idea of him moving to a new cabinet post.

"She said, 'You're not going to get a new family, are you?' And I said, 'No, no, don't worry, the family remains the same no matter what."

McGuinty started making calls to his new cabinet ministers Monday evening, and the new Liberal administration will be sworn in Tuesday afternoon by Lt.-Gov. David Onley.

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From CTV ...

McGuinty's new cabinet reveals fresh faces
Oct. 30 2007

Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty was officially sworn to duty on Tuesday afternoon along with a fresh cabinet of new faces.

Windsor MPP Energy Minister Dwight Duncan was named finance minister, replacing Greg Sorbara. Sorbara, who represents Vaughan, surprised the Liberal caucus on Friday by announcing his resignation from cabinet to spend more time with his family.

Toronto MPP Michael Bryant has been reassigned to the province's aboriginal affairs portfolio and will also take on the role as Government House Speaker.

London West MPP Chris Bentley, who served as minister of colleges and universities, will take over Bryant's job.

Education Minister Kathleen Wynne kept her high-ranking portfolio, as did Health Minister George Smitherman. Wynne was also named cabinet chair.

Infrastructure Minister David Caplan, who is also responsible for the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp., also stayed put.

Sandra Pupatello was sworn in as economic development and trade minister, while John Gerretsen will handle the environment portfolio.

Donna Cansfield moved from transportation to natural resources, Michael Chan became citizenship and immigration minister, Rick Bartolucci takes over community safety and correctional services, and Harinder Takhar remains small business minister.

McGuinty himself has taken over the Ministry of Intergovernmental Affairs, which puts him in charge of convincing the federal government for more funding for the province.

Several veterans had to give up their jobs to make room for the newcomers: Natural Resources Minister David Ramsay, Environment Minister Laurel Broten, Labour Minister Steve Peters and Public Safety Minister Monte Kwinter.

Ten new faces

McGuinty added 10 new members to cabinet, including two newly elected MPPs.

Aileen Carroll, who was a Liberal MP before switching over to provincial politics, was appointed culture minister.

Scarborough's Margarett Best will be minister of health promotion.

Other notable newcomers include:

Deb Matthews, minister of children and youth services
Ted McMeekin, minister of government services
John Milloy, minister of training, colleges and universities
Brad Duguid, minister of labour
Michael Gravelle, minister of northern development and mines
Peter Fonseca, minister of tourism 
Monique Smith, minister of revenue
John Wilkinson, minister of research and innovation
David Docherty, dean of arts at Sir Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, warned that promoting so many rookies to cabinet could backfire on McGuinty.

"It's always dangerous putting new folks into cabinet if they haven't spent any time there, even if they have federal experience; the culture of Queen's Park is very different,'' Docherty told The Canadian Press. "For those (new) individuals, the learning curve is really a lot steeper.''

An official with Equal Voice, an organization that lobbies for an increased number of women in politics, said she is disappointed with McGuinty's picks.

Rosemary Speirs told CP the premier should have followed the example of Quebec Premier Jean Charest who made half of his cabinet women.

McGuinty told reporters he was proud of the number of women in the Liberal caucus.

"I was very pleased (during the election) we got 11 new MPPs and I think eight of those were women," he said. "That's a very, very strong showing and I'm very, very proud of that."

Conservative Leader John Tory lashed out at McGuinty's decision to put Duncan in finance and Pupatello in economic development.

"What we have hear is potentially a disaster in the making for the Ontario economy,'' Tory said.

"We're having the same two people that have been in charge of the Windsor economy, as it has been in peril and in decline over the last couple of years, now being placed in charge of the entire Ontario economy.''

With a report from CTV's Paul Bliss and files from The Canadian Press