Cabinet rookie replaces Stewart as DIAND minister

MICHAELA RODRIGUE
Nunatsiaq News

IQALUIT — The Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development has a new boss.

This week, Prime Minister Jean Chrétien shuffled Jane Stewart out of the portfolio and replaced her with Kenora-Rainy River MP Bob Nault.

The new minister called his new portfolio “an honour,” and admitted that it’s a job that he vied for.

“I had the honour as a member of parliament of representing 51 First Nations [communities]. I’m very involved in aboriginal affairs and northern development so I don’t see this as much of a change from what I was involved in before, except at a different level,” Nault said.

Nault has represented the huge north-western Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River since 1988. In his first cabinet job, he will be responsible for a large, complex department.

But since he was first elected, Nault said he has kept close tabs on DIAND. Along with Ethel Blondin-Andrew, Nault was opposition critic for DIAND, and he sat on the Commons committee for Indian and northern affairs.

“I’m quite familiar with the issues,” he told Nunatsiaq News.

Nault is also a former parliamentary secretary to the human resources minister and the labour minister.

“My personal interests are to build an economy for northerners. What that entails is having infrastructure,” Nault said, adding that different levels of government need to supply jobs for young people.

Nault said he plans to work closely with Transportation Minister David Collenette, Finance Minister Paul Martin, and Health Minister Allan Rock.

“There are many health-related issues in my region, and obviously in the far North as well, simply because we have trouble attracting doctors and nurses. We want to see if we can change that,” Nault said.

When contacted by Nunatsiaq News this week, the new minister was waiting to be briefed on Nunavut issues.

But he said he plans to come to Nunavut before the House of Commons resumes sitting in October. Nault came to Iqaluit in 1989 during a week-long Liberal caucus meeting.

“I hope to meet the people who will give me good advice, whether they be elders or elected officials. I want to listen.”

His predeccessor, Jane Stewart, is now in charge of the mammoth Human Resources Development portfolio. Former Human Resources Minister Pierre Pettigrew is now minister of International Trade.

Chrétien also named four other new members to his cabinet.

They are:

Elinor Caplan, Citizenship and Immigration;
George Baker: Veterans Affairs;
Maria Minna: International Cooperation;
Denis Coderre: Secretary of State for Amateur Sport.
The outgoing ministers are:

Sergio Marchi, former international trade minister;
Marcel Masse, former Treasury Board president;
Fred Mifflin, former veterans affairs minister;
Christine Stewart, former environment minister;
Diane Marleau, former international cooperation and francophonie minister.