CALGARY — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith announced Friday an overhaul of several government ministries, creating two new health services portfolios and replacing her Indigenous relations minister.
Former health minister Adriana LaGrange was sworn in as minister of primary and preventative health services, while former jobs minister Matt Jones is now in charge of hospital and surgical health services.
Previous Indigenous relations minister Rick Wilson becomes minister of mental health and addiction. He replaces Dan Williams, who moves to municipal affairs.
Rajan Sawhney will head Indigenous relations.
Smith said the shuffle was needed to fill the vacancy left by former municipal affairs minister Ric McIver, who is taking on the role of Speaker of the assembly.
"Once you move one cabinet minister, you have to start moving a few others," Smith said before the swearing-in ceremony with Lt.-Gov. Salma Lakhani.
Former Speaker Nathan Cooper left the job earlier this week and is stepping down this summer as the United Conservative Party member for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills to become the province's new representative in Washington.
The move created a ripple throughout ministries, as Smith's government is also in the midst of a major health-care system restructuring project and recent separatist talk has soured Indigenous relations in the province.
Smith's UCP has been working to reduce the former provincial health authority, Alberta Health Services, to a single hospital services provider, replacing it with four oversight agencies.
Former seniors, community and social services minister Jason Nixon, who has oversight of the new Assisted Living Alberta agency, is now minister of assisted living and social services.
Smith, in a livestreamed speech, vowed to continue her longtime ambition to chart a new path on health care.
“I'm proud to say that Alberta will now have a dedicated minister responsible for overseeing the implementation of policy and delivery of health-care services in each of the four key areas: primary care, acute care, assisted living and recovery,” she said.
Alberta NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi said the shift represents a "massive" demotion for LaGrange, who was once in charge of the entire health-care system.
Nenshi, who has called for LaGrange to resign, pointed out LaGrange is no longer in charge of doling out private surgical contracts or managing the acute care system.
"She can't screw up hospitals more than she already has. I guess that's an improvement," he said.
Nenshi questioned why the premier announced her new cabinet with little fanfare on the Friday before a long weekend.
"The ship is sinking, and shuffling the deck chairs is not going to help."
The cabinet changes come in the wake of a controversial bill that will lower the bar for citizens to initiate a referendum question, including whether Alberta should secede from Canada.
The bill, along with last month's federal election, has renewed interest in separatism among some Albertans fed up with another Liberal government in Ottawa.
It has also sparked backlash from Indigenous leaders in the province, who say separation from Canada presents a threat to their treaty relationship with the Crown.
Last week, the Indigenous relations minister was asked by reporters if he would abstain or vote against the bill.
“I’d like to run and hide, but no, I can’t do that," Wilson joked.
He later stood with the UCP and voted in favour of the bill.
Nenshi said Sawhney, a former UCP leadership candidate, takes over a critical file from Wilson, as the province needs to stand with Indigenous people if it wants to be prosperous.
"You could interpret this as the premier really giving the hardest file to a minister she sees as very competent, or you could see this as the premier handing that person who was a rival of hers a cup full of poison," he said.
Smith has said she supports Alberta remaining in Canada but doesn't want to see the province's separatist movement grow into a large, mainstream political party.
Justice Minister Mickey Amery offered an amendment Wednesday night to address concerns from First Nations over the bill, declaring no referendum would interfere with treaty rights.
But that legislative change didn't satisfy some First Nations chiefs, who rallied in Edmonton the next day to demand a repeal of the bill.
Also part of the cabinet shuffle, former tourism minister Joseph Schow takes over the jobs, economy, trade and immigration file from Jones. And Demetrios Nicolaides adds child care to his portfolio, becoming minister of education and child care.
There are some new faces, too.
Andrew Boitchenko, previously the parliamentary secretary for Indigenous relations, is minister of tourism and sport. And Calgary-Fish Creek legislature member Myles McDougall becomes advanced education minister, taking over from Sawhney.
Grant Hunter, who served as a minister under former premier Jason Kenney, is associate minister of water. He also takes over as chief government whip from Shane Getson.
Muhammed Yaseen, formerly the minister of immigration and multiculturalism, is now the associate minister of multiculturalism.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 16, 2025.
-- By Lisa Johnson in Edmonton
The Canadian Press
