WESTLOCK - Although not one of the coveted 24 cabinet positions, Athabasca-Barrhead-Westlock MLA Glenn van Dijken has been named parliamentary secretary for agrifood development, a role that’ll see him work closely with new ag minister Nate Horner and one he’s “quite interested in and excited about.”
On Oct. 21, newly-minted premier Danielle Smith unveiled her first UCP cabinet, a mix of old and new faces, while van Dijken, who was first elected in 2015 and has served on a handful of committees including the Special Ethics and Accountability Committee and previously chaired the Standing Committee on Alberta’s Economic Future, received his first quasi-cabinet posting of his provincial political career.
“This role is something I’m quite interested in and excited about. In our Alberta Recovery Plan, agriculture and agrifood processing was identified as a growth area for us to work on,” said van Dijken on the day of the announcement.
The province notes its Agri-food Investment and Growth Strategy is an integrated three-pillar strategy that will build on “Alberta's strong foundation as a major supplier of high-quality agricultural products.” It goes on to say that “investment attraction is essential” and will support modernization and expansion projects, expand business opportunities and “increase our exports globally and create up to 7,300 direct and indirect jobs.”
“I’ll be working closely with the ag minister and doing more stakeholder engagement which I’m looking forward to. It’s the kind of work I enjoy. I think there’s lots of good opportunities for all different sizes of projects throughout the province that we can focus on,” said van Dijken.
“There were a number of canola processing plants that ended up in Saskatchewan and there was a question as to why we weren’t able to finalize those and get them here. So, there was some work we had to do to understand that and I think we’re in a much better spot now.”
His take on the cabinet
As for the cabinet, who were sworn in Oct. 24 at the Legislature, van Dijken said it’s a good mix and one that will be focused on growth. Of note, five of Smith's six leadership contest rivals received cabinet posts, while six MLAs who have never served as ministers now have portfolios.
“Our entire caucus has a lot to offer … building a cabinet is difficult because you have so many to choose from. But I look forward to the future in Alberta with the prospects that we have,” he said. “There’s a lot of opportunity for growth and this is a cabinet focused on not only growth but on providing the services that Albertans need because growth will have a lot to do with being able to provide those services.”
The cabinet
Deputy Premier and Minister of Skilled Trades and Professions – Kaycee Madu
Deputy Premier and Minister of Infrastructure – Nathan Neudorf
President of Treasury Board and Minister of Finance – Travis Toews
Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development – Brian Jean
Minister of Justice – Tyler Shandro
Minister of Health – Jason Copping
Minister of Energy – Pete Guthrie
Minister of Environment and Protected Areas – Sonya Savage
Minister of Technology and Innovation – Nate Glubish
Minister of Affordability and Utilities – Matt Jones
Minister of Municipal Affairs – Rebecca Schulz
Minister of Transportation and Economic Corridors – Devin Dreeshen
Minister of Public Safety – Mike Ellis
Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation – Nate Horner
Minister of Forestry, Parks and Tourism – Todd Loewen
Minister of Trade, Immigration and Multiculturalism – Rajan Sawhney
Minister of Education – Adriana LaGrange
Minister of Advanced Education – Demetrios Nicolaides
Minister of Service Alberta and Red Tape Reduction – Dale Nally
Minister of Indigenous Relations – Rick Wilson
Minister of Seniors, Community and Social Services – Jeremy Nixon
Minister of Children’s Services – Mickey Amery
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions – Nicholas Milliken
Minister of Culture – Jason Luan
Caucus leadership positions
Whip (Minister without portfolio) – Brad Rutherford
House Leader (Minister without portfolio) – Joseph Schow
Deputy House Leaders – Kaycee Madu, Mickey Amery, David Hanson
Parliamentary secretaries
Parliamentary Secretary for Ukrainian Refugee Settlement – Jackie Armstrong-Homeniuk
Parliamentary Secretary for EMS Reform – RJ Sigurdson
Parliamentary Secretary for Rural Health – Tany Yao
Parliamentary Secretary for Economic Corridors – Shane Getson
Parliamentary Secretary for Tourism – Miranda Rosin
Parliamentary Secretary for Agrifood Development – Glenn van Dijken
Parliamentary Secretary for Multiculturalism – Devinder Toor
Parliamentary Secretary for Status of Women – Tanya Fir
Parliamentary Secretary for Community Outreach – Muhammad Yaseen
Parliamentary Secretary for Procurement Transformation – David Hanson
Parliamentary Secretary for Small Business – Martin Long
Chair of new government committees
Economy and Affordability Cabinet Policy Committee – Jason Nixon
Alberta First Cabinet Policy Committee – Garth Rowswell
Social Services Cabinet Policy Committee – Searle Turton
Building Communities Cabinet Policy Committee – Pat Rehn
Legislative Review Committee Chair – Jason Stephan
Treasury Board members
Travis Toews, Matt Jones, Nate Glubish, Rebecca Schulz, Devin Dreeshen, Jordan Walker, Rick Wilson, Nathan Neudorf and Pete Guthrie.
George Blais, TownandCountryToday.com
