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Here's a quick look at Stephen Harper's first cabinet.
Peter MacKay, Foreign Affairs
A lawyer and the son of one of Brian Mulroney's ministers, Mr. MacKay was PC leader when he joined Mr. Harper in merging with the Canadian Alliance to form the Conservative Party of Canada. The four-term Nova Scotia MP is seen as having ambitions still. Mr. MacKay, 41, also plays rugby.Campaign Biography
Lawrence Cannon, Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
Mr. Cannon, 58, was communications minister in Quebec Liberal government of Robert Bourassa. He also served as deputy speaker of the National Assembly. Most recently, he's been chairman of the Outaouais Urban Transit Corporation and a communications consultant.Campaign Biography
Chuck Strahl, Agriculture
A lung cancer patient, Mr. Strahl battled back to run for re-election last month. He was first elected in B.C. for the Reform Party in 1993. Mr. Strahl, 48, was the partner in a construction company before entering politics. With his rich voice, he's often asked to lead the singing of O Canada at official gatherings.Campaign Biography
Rona Ambrose, Environment
A former official with the Alberta provincial government, Ms. Ambrose has an academic and working background in policy development related to privacy, electronic government, health and the environment. First elected in 2004, Ms. Ambrose, 37, was the intergovernmental affairs critic.Campaign Biography
Vic Toews, Justice
The former provincial justice minister in Manitoba, Mr. Toews has been a strong advocate for mandatory minimum sentences for firearms crimes and for a more open system of judicial appointments. Mr. Toews, 53, was first elected federally in 2000. The son of Mennonite missionaries, Mr. Toews was born in Paraguay. Campaign Biography
Monte Solberg, Citizenship and immigration
First elected in 1993, Mr. Solberg, 47, has been the Tory finance critic for the last three years. The Albertan was also once the foreign affairs critic. He has embraced blogging, and has written recently about the benefits of 90-second power naps and has posted a poem of his in the style of William Blake. Campaign Biography
Tony Clement, Health
Mr. Clement held four Ontario cabinet posts under Mike Harris, including serving as Health Minister during the SARS crisis. He lost the Ontario Tory leadership in 2002 and failed to win a federal seat in 2003. He won his seat in the Jan. 23 election by 29 votes after a recount.Campaign Biography
Jim Flaherty, Finance
A lawyer, Mr. Flaherty held law-and-order and economic portfolios in the provincial government in Ontario. As treasurer under Mike Harris, he instituted major tax cuts. Mr. Flaherty, 56, was co-chair of a Conservative task force on safe streets last year. He graduated cum laude from Princeton.Campaign Biography
Stockwell Day, Public Safety
Although he now represents a B.C. riding, Mr. Day held several cabinet posts in the Alberta government before moving to the federal scene six years ago. He became leader of the Reform Party, heading that slate in one unsuccessful federal campaign. Mr. Day, 55, was most recently Conservative foreign affairs critic.Campaign Biography
John Baird, Treasury Board
Despite his relative young age, 36, Mr. Baird is a veteran politician, having served as minister of community and social services under former Ontario premier Mike Harris. He cut his political teeth in Ottawa, his hometown, as an assistant to a Mulroney era cabinet minister. Campaign Biography
Maxime Bernier, Industry
The new Conservative MP from Beauce picks up the mantle of his father, Gilles Bernier, who represented the riding in the last Tory government and then as an independent before the Liberals made him ambassador to Haiti. Maxime Bernier, 43, a Montreal lawyer was a vice-president of Standard Life of Canada.Campaign Biography
Rob Nicholson, House leader
Mr. Nicholson, 53, served briefly as science minister in Kim Campbell's government before the Progressive Conservatives were reduced to just two seats in the 1993 election. He returned to Ottawa in the 2004 election. A lawyer, Mr. Nicholson represents Niagara Falls, Ont.Campaign Biography
Bev Oda, Heritage
Born in what is now Thunder Bay, Ont., Japanese-Canadian Ms. Oda was a teacher before beginning a long career as a broadcaster and network executive. She was also a CRTC commissioner before going into electoral politics. First elected in 2004, Ms. Oda, 61, was heritage critic.Campaign Biography
Diane Finley, Human Resources and Social Development
Fluently bilingual, Ms. Finley's professional career has included progressively senior positions in both the public and private sectors encompassing health care, transportation, agricultural equipment manufacturing, printing and publishing, and aviation. She was agriculture critic.Campaign Biography
Gary Lunn, Resources
Mr. Lunn has had a varied career as a carpenter, then as a construction superintendent in mines in British Columbia and the Northwest Territories, and then as a lawyer. He was first elected to the House in 1997. Mr. Lunn, 48, was the aboriginal affairs critic.Campaign Biography
Jim Prentice, Indian affairs
Mr. Prentice was first elected in 2004 after running for the PC party in 2003. As a lawyer, he specialized in property rights and has handled a number of relocations, environmental protection suits, and cases arising from restricted development areas. He is an expert on aboriginal land claims. Campaign Biography
Josée Verner, International Co-operation
Ms. Verner, 46, ran a very close second in a Quebec City riding in the 2004 election. The party kept her on staff full-time to work as de facto critic for francophonie affairs. She is a former press assistant in a Liberal provincial government and has also worked for the ADQ.Campaign Biography
Loyola Hearn, Fisheries
A former provincial education minister in Newfoundland, Mr. Hearn ran federally for the first time in 2000 and won as an old stock Progressive Conservative. Mr. Hearn,62, has been critic for heritage, public works and fisheries. He is a former junior high school principal. Campaign Biography
Jean-Pierre Blackburn, Labour and Housing
Mr. Blackburn was MP for the riding of Jonquière in the Mulroney government, rising to parliamentary secretary to the Minister of National Defence. He is currently president of Blackburn Communication Inc., which specializes in business development and public relations.Campaign Biography
David Emerson, International trade
David Emerson was industry minister in the outgoing Paul Martin Liberal government. In the 2004 election, he was recruited as a star candidate. He was previously the chief executive of Canfor Corp., a forestry company. Before that, he worked in the British Columbia government. Campaign Biography
Carol Skelton, National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification
Carol Skelton is a former co-ordinator of the Canadian Blood Services before she was first elected as an MP in 2000. Ms. Skelton was born in Biggar, Sask., which is part of the Saskatoon-Rosetown-Biggar riding she now represents. Campaign Biography
Gordon O'Connor, Defence
Before being elected in June, 2005, Mr. O'Connor served in the military for 33 years, joining the Regular Army as a Second Lieutenant in the Armour Branch, and retiring at the rank of Brigadier General. Mr. O'Connor received a Bachelor of Sciences in Mathematics and Physics from Concordia and a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from York University. He has served as the Official Opposition Critic for National Defence.Campaign Biography
Gregory Thompson, Veterans Affairs
Greg Thompson was first elected to the House of Commons in 1988. He served as critic for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. Before being elected he was a financial planner, salesperson, and teacher. Mr. Thompson holds bachelors degrees in arts and education from St. Thomas University.
Campaign Biography
Michael Chong, President of the Queen's Privy Council and Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister for Sport
First elected in 2004, Mr. Chong has worked as chief information officer for the NHL Players' Association. In 1997, Mr. Chong co-founded the Dominion Institute, an organization committed to raising Canadians' awareness of history and civics. Mr. Chong lives live just outside of Fergus, Ont.
Campaign Biography
Marjory LeBreton, Leader of the Government in the Senate
Ms. LeBreton was appointed to the Senate by Brian Mulroney in 1993. She has served as Chief Opposition Whip and been a member of various the Senate standing committees, including Human Rights, Social Affairs and Agriculture. She has worked for Joe Clark, Robert Stanfield and John Diefenbaker.
Michael Fortier, Public Works and Government Services
Not an MP, Michael Fortier, a financier and lawyer in Montreal, was the Conservative campaign co-chair in the last election. Mr. Fortier has been involved in politics for many years. He was president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in the 1990s, and ran for the leadership of the Party in 1988. He has been a partner at Ogilvy Renault and a corporate financing director for TD Securities.
