Alberta’s government now has 25 ministries, two ministers without portfolios and 11 parliamentary secretaries – meaning more than half of the UCP’s MLAs are in cabinet.JASON FRANSON/The Canadian Press
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith brushed off criticism over the size of her first cabinet, which is larger than the one assembled by her predecessor Jason Kenney and double that of the first one put together by the New Democratic Party, saying it is necessary in order to diversify the provincial economy and scour government for cost-saving opportunities.
Ms. Smith’s cabinet was sworn in Monday. All but one of the six MLAs who challenged her in the United Conservative Party’s leadership race landed in cabinet, along with others who supported her campaign. Alberta’s government now has 25 ministries, two ministers without portfolios and 11 parliamentary secretaries – meaning more than half of the UCP’s MLAs are in cabinet.
The Premier, who does not yet have a seat in the assembly, fashions herself as a warrior for small governments and free markets, but Ms. Smith said it is the size of the public service – not her inner circle – that matters most. The expanded list of ministries will give Alberta a better shot at juicing its economy, she said.
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“They are going to be really important economic drivers and they all deserve specialized attention,” Ms. Smith told reporters after the new cabinet was sworn in.
Previous governments “smooshed” a number of topics together without giving them the attention they deserved, she said. Technology, she cited as an example, is a topic that she elevated to its own ministry rather than clumping it with other areas of concern.
Proof of her small government philosophy, she said, will stem from the headcount in the public service.
“We have an intention to make sure that that is where we are finding our cost savings. It requires additional dedicated support of ministers and their teams to make sure that we can find those cost savings.”
Jared Wesley, a professor of political science at the University of Alberta, noted Mr. Kenney’s first provincial cabinet contained 20 ministries and three junior ministries. NDP Leader Rachel Notley, when she was elected premier in 2015, created just 12 departments. Ms. Smith’s cabinet is also larger than those created by former Progressive Conservative premiers Alison Redford, Jim Prentice and Ed Stelmach when they took office, Mr. Wesley said.
MLAs are paid $120,936 a year in Alberta, and ministers receive an additional $60,468. Ministers without portfolios collect $27,216 on top of their base salary. The plethora of new departments will require political and bureaucratic employees, such as chiefs of staff and deputy ministers.
Ms. Smith’s restructured cabinet still contains ministries responsible for multiple areas of concern. Todd Loewen, who butted heads with Mr. Kenney but aligns with Ms. Smith, will oversee the Ministry of Forestry, Parks and Tourism, for example. Matt Jones is the Minister of Affordability and Utilities, a new portfolio. Travis Toews, who placed second to Ms. Smith in the UCP leadership race, will return to his position as Finance Minister, while Jason Nixon, a Kenney loyalist, no longer has a seat at the cabinet table.
The Premier said she believes “dedicated focus” on a particular area, coupled with “decentralization,” is the way to find cost savings. If organizations are centralized, like Alberta Health Services, she said civil servants accumulate too much power.
Ms. Smith and her supporters believe AHS is ripe for reform. She argues it is stuffed with middle managers and that resources should instead be directed to front-line staff. She distrusts many of the experts within AHS and the Health Ministry, including Chief Medical Officer of Health Deena Hinshaw, because she believes they mismanaged the pandemic.
Ms. Smith, who became the UCP Leader and Premier this month, is running in a by-election in Brooks-Medicine Hat, with voters casting ballots Nov. 8. While a former UCP MLA stepped down so she could pursue a seat in the legislature, Ms. Smith did not call a concurrent by-election for Calgary-Elbow, which has been vacant since former UCP cabinet minister Doug Schweitzer resigned at the end of August.