After the shuffle: N.L. cabinet settling in after shakeup

After the shuffle: N.L. cabinet settling in after shakeup

New ministers speak about changes in government, work ahead

A shakeup of the provincial cabinet on Aug. 20 came not quite 10 months from when Premier Tony Wakeham announced his initial list of leaders in government.

Over the week since the changes were revealed, and after a moment to take in appointments and scope out responsibilities, CBC News has been able to catch up with most of the ministers involved.

The main change was a new health minister, with Joedy Wall having taken over from Lela Evans in the role.

Wall has also taken on the connected files of mental health and addictions, and minister responsible for the health authority.

Evans remains in cabinet, responsible for Labrador Affairs, and Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation. In Labrador, she told the CBC's Regan Burden she is proud to have gotten the ball rolling for the Progressive Conservative government on health care.

"It's almost a year into a new government now and I think I did a lot of positive work and got a lot of things started … in terms of improving access to health care," she said, in the wake of the shuffle.

She doesn't see it as any kind of demotion and is "quite happy" with her responsibilities, despite her assignments covering significantly less in the way of budget share and program spending.

"I'm very comfortable with where I am," she said, noting she will still work to follow through on promised improvements for Labradorians' access to health care.

Evans was also named as the head of the new Team Labrador, a name she said is a "bit cheesy" but a group she said that will assure Labradorians "see real action" in the years ahead, in terms of meeting community needs for municipal development and helping local companies and individuals tap into major project opportunities.

On her health, in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis she has spoken on publicly, she said that laboratory analysis and follow-up post-surgery shows she will not require chemotherapy or radiation.

"I feel blessed," she said of the news.

Goosney takes torch for Tourism

Mike Goosney now covers tourism, culture and arts, and is stickhandling sport, recreation and parks, plus related files as the new minister responsible for PictureNL, minister for the Newfoundland and Labrador Arts Council and minister for the Pippy Parks Commission.

"There's going to be a lot of hard work and I look forward to taking it on," he told CBC Radio's On the Go.

A former steamfitter and pipefitter, also with a background in municipal politics, Goosney said, in all cases, he will be building on the work of previous minister Andrea Barbour, who he called "dedicated and passionate."

When asked about the province's tourism potential, he said he has some ideas of his own he will be bringing to the table.

He said he's open to hearing ideas from people in the sector.

"My door will always be open to sit down and meet with people," he said.

Lloyd Parrott adds labour and cuts to red tape

Goosney's former portfolios of government services, labour, and minister responsible for WorkplaceNL are being picked up by Lloyd Parrott. It adds to Parrott's work as government house leader and minister of energy and mines.

Parrott will also be responsible for a new push on red tape reduction.

"It all aligns very well," Parrott said, highlighting the importance of labour and employer relations while trying to move forward immense natural resource developments.

Apart from Churchill River power, he spoke about his own desire for more secondary processing in the mining sector within provincial boundaries, plus a push on developing natural gas locally and seeing offshore gas brought onshore.

On Labrador iron ore potential, in the event of possible new Churchill River power, Parrott mentioned the Kami project, Iron Bear and the prospect at Julienne Lake.

"Over 100 years of some of the cleanest iron ore in the world … and access to other minerals through that process that will allow us to develop western Labrador in a way that we'd never imagined," he said.

He said the provincial government will also need to streamline processes going forward and make it easier for people to interact with government.

"We no longer want to lead the country in red tape. We want to lead the country in red tape reduction," he said.

Andrea Barbour takes on environment

Stepping in as the new minister for environment, conservation and climate change — also responsible for the Multi-Materials Stewardship Board — was described by Andrea Barbour as a chance for her to make use of her background in environmental science.

"It really is a good fit," she said, later adding she feels "really great" in the new post.

Barbour mentioned her bachelor of science degree, her work with the government of Canada on water resources from 2007 to 2013 and additional studies on integrated coastal and ocean management at the Marine Institute.

It's not what people may know her for, as she came to prominence as a social media influencer before her run for office and initial cabinet post, covering the arts and culture sector, as well as sport and recreation.

Now, she will be out front for the release of the province's new climate change action plan.

Asked about the challenge of talking about measures to tackle climate change while the province is also an oil and gas producer, aspiring to produce more fossil fuels, the minister didn't miss a beat.

"It's all about finding balance between the environment, protecting the environment, and our economy," she said.

As for any criticisms of her past work in cabinet, where she made headlines for AI use gone awry and stumbles in speeches, she compared it to bullying she's otherwise experienced in life.

"People know who I am, the true me, and actually every time someone comes after me, looking for a weakness and trying to make it into something that it's not, it really backfires on the person or people or the group of people that come after me because people know who I am," she said.

"And it doesn't fit the character of what is being portrayed and put out there, put into the public."

Barry Petten, already deputy premier and minister of transportation and infrastructure and the responsible for public procurement, has additional files now. He is minister of municipal and community affairs, registrar general, minister of community engagement and deputy government house leader.

Finance Minister Craig Pardy, already with a handful of other titles, was handed the addition of one of Goosney's old posts as minister responsible for the Office of the Chief Information Officer.

Joedy Wall's former holdings went to Chris Tibbs, who now stands as minister of social supports and well-being, housing, poverty reduction, and minister responsible for the status of persons with disabilities.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.