Kinew appoints Cabinet, ministerial working groups on health and jobs
Premier Wab Kinew announced a Cabinet of 15 ministers Wednesday October 18, highlighting health care, education, job creation and ending homelessness in next eight years.
Uzoma Asagwara (Health), Ron Kostyshyn (Agriculture), Matt Wiebe (Justice), Nahanni Fontaine (Families), Bernadette Smith (Housing, Addictions, Homelessness), Nello Altomare (Education & Early Childhood Learning) and Ian Bushie (Municipal & Northern Relations; Indigenous Economic Development) sat in the front row with Kinew at The Leaf, in Assiniboine Park, where the swearing in ceremonies took place.
Lisa Naylor, MLA for Wolseley, was named Minister of Manitoba Transportation & Infrastructure. Naylor, first elected in 2019, has previously been her Caucus critic for Environment & Climate Change, Municipal Relations and MLLC. She has previously served as a school trustee in Winnipeg (2014-2019) and as a counsellor at Women’s Health Clinic.
“I will be a leader for all of us in Manitoba,” Kinew said in his address, following the ceremony. “Seventy percent of the landmass of Manitoba is now represented by our team, and we take that responsibility seriously and we’re going to deliver results for this province.”
Notably, Kinew, who is also Minister of Indigenous Reconciliation, announced working groups among his new ministers to focus on the priorities of health improvement and economic opportunity.
The health improvement working group includes the ministers of:
- Health
- Families
- Labour & Immigration
- Environment & Climate Change
- Education & Early Childhood Learning
- Justice
- Advanced Education
The economic opportunity working group includes the ministers of:
- Finance
- Economic Development, Investment, Trade and Natural Resources
- Agriculture
- Municipal and Northern Relations
- Transportation & Infrastructure
- Sport, Culture, Heritage, Tourism
The economic opportunity group, Kinew said, has been tasked “to deliver a concrete plan that makes it easier for everyone in this province to join the workforce, join a union and join the middle class.”
