Experienced faces make up Wade MacLauchlan cabinet

Newly-minted P.E.I. Premier Wade MacLauchlan is going exclusively with experienced ministers for his cabinet as he prepares for an expected spring election.

MacLauchlan was sworn in as premier of Prince Edward Island Monday morning.

The cabinet has shrunk from 11 to eight members:

• Wade MacLauchlan, premier, president of the executive council, finance and energy, aboriginal affairs, Acadian affairs and intergovernmental affairs.
• George Webster, deputy premier and agriculture and forestry
• Doug Currie, health and wellness and municipal affairs.
• Honourable Valerie Docherty, community services, seniors and status of women.
• Janice Sherry, environment, labour and justice and attorney general.
• Rob Henderson, tourism and culture.
• Alan McIsaac, education and early childhood development and transportation and infrastructure renewal.
• Allen Roach, innovation and advanced learning and fisheries, aquaculture and rural development

Those MLAs were all members of the Robert Ghiz cabinet. Missing from the list are Wes Sheridan, Ron MacKinley and Robert Vessey, who are all not offering in the next election.

George Webster is also not re-offering.

The cabinet is about as close as it could get to the cabinet of Robert Ghiz.

MacLauchlan takes on the portfolios of finance and energy, previously held by the retiring Sheridan. He also takes aboriginal affairs, Acadian affairs and intergovernmental affairs, which were held by Ghiz.

Currie adds on municipal affairs, also previously controlled by Sheridan. McIssac adds responsibility for transportation and infrastructure renewal, previously held by Vessey. Roach takes charge of fisheries, aquaculture and rural development, previously the responsibility of MacKinley.

Otherwise the cabinet is the same.

MacLauchlan stepped into the role as Ghiz, who last fall announced he was stepping down, formally resigned. MacLauchlan was made leader of the Liberal Party Saturday, and sworn in as premier during a ceremony at Government House in Charlottetown at 11 a.m.

MacLauchlan was uncontested for the leadership. He takes charge of the party with the Liberals being popular in the polls. Heading into last weekend they held 23 of the 27 seats in the P.E.I. Legislature.

One of those seats is now vacant. Robert Vessey, MLA for York-Oyster Bed, has resigned to start his new job as MacLauchlan's chief of staff. Ghiz also said he would give up his seat.

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