LAC LA BICHE - Lac La Biche-Fort McMurray MLA Brian Jean will get the opportunity to prove the pledge he made to his constituents — and Albertans — on his election night win on May 29 to protect and bolster the region's energy sector, after being named the province's Minister of Energy and Minerals in the June 9 Cabinet selections.
Jean is the first MLA from the northeast to hold the Energy portfolio in recent UCP or Conservative history.
On provincial election night, easily re-elected as the area's provincial political representative in a landside victory, and giving him strong mandate to continue as the area's UCP representative, Jean told Lakeland This Week he expected the region to be recognized with another cabinet posting.
Going into the recent provincial election, Jean was the Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development. On Friday, Premier Danielle Smith swore Jean in as the new minister of Energy and Minerals.
Northern Development not in new Minister portfolios
Calgary-area MLA Matt Jones was sworn in as the new minister of Jobs Economy and Trade.
Of the 25 executive cabinet positions, none have a reference to Northern Development.
On election night, Jean told the Lac La Biche POST newsroom that the Fort McMurray-Lac La Biche constituency is the driving force of the province's natural resource sector. He said if the region is doing well, the province is doing well.
His new portfolio, according to government information, is responsible for areas pertaining to coal, natural gas, petroleum, electronic transfer systems, oil, royalties, minerals and the oil sands.
