Northern B.C. remains well represented in Premier Christy Clark's new, smaller cabinet Monday with Prince George's two MLAs shifting portfolios but remaining within the inner circle.
Prince George-Mackenzie MLA Pat Bell was moved from forests and mines to a new posting responsible for jobs, tourism and innovation.
Prince George-Valemount MLA Shirley Bond was moved from transportation and infrastructure to solicitor general and safety.
The North received a third cabinet posting as Peace River South MLA Blair Lekstrom, who resigned over the handling of the harmonized sales tax, returned to cabinet as transportation minister.
"The North certainly has Premier Clark's attention -- and importantly, the North continues to have a strong voice at the cabinet table," said Bond.
She said it's important for Prince George, and northern B.C., to have a voice at the cabinet table because of the increasing importance of B.C.'s natural resource sector to the growing Asian Pacific economies.
Bond takes over a portfolio that encompasses one of Clark's key policy platform's during her leadership race -- building safer communities.
Bond, who retains her position as vice-chair of treasury, said she is looking forward to taking on that job.
Bell also takes on a portfolio that contains another of Clark's four key platform planks, that of creating wealth through new business and job creation.
"When you look at how cabinet is designed, you have a premier who clearly believes that strong economic growth is needed to pay for social services," he said.
Bell's responsibility covers a large area -- essentially anything that could impact investment and economic growth. That includes marketing initiatives, but also taxation policy, regulation and environmental policy, said Bell.
He has, for example, responsibility for efforts to offset impacts of the mountain pine beetle epidemic by diversifying the economy in the Interior and some trades training initiatives.
Bell will also continue to have responsibly for marketing B.C.'s lumber in China, a job he took on as forests minister.
In another key change in cabinet, the finance minister who unveiled B.C.'s unpopular HST is out.
Hansen, the deputy premier and finance minister in former premier Gordon Campbell's government, was noticeably absent from the executive circle, along with former education minister Margaret MacDiarmid, former labour minister Iain Black and former social development minister Kevin Krueger.
One of the few new faces among the 18-member cabinet is Harry Bloy, the only sitting MLA to back Clark as leader.
Former health minister Kevin Falcon becomes deputy premier and finance minister.
Mike de Jong, who Clark defeated last month in the leadership race, is the new health minister.
George Abbott, who also ran unsuccessfully for the leadership, is back in cabinet despite his open criticism of Clark during the leadership campaign. He is the education minister.
Clark reduced her cabinet from 23 to 18 seats, seven of them women including Clark.
Clark, who took the oath of office Monday, said she plans to follow a prudent financial course and promised to "engage citizens in decision-making as never before."
The former radio talk show host won on a platform of bringing change to the B.C. Liberals but she will quickly face a province-wide referendum on her predecessor's unpopular harmonized sales tax - a referendum she says she will move up to June 24 from Sept. 24.
"Our government will be open to the people of British Columbia. We will talk about our problems, we will set our priorities openly and we will work with citizens to find solutions," Clark said in an election-worthy speech at Government House clearly aimed at voters angry about the HST.
"And we will explain why we make the decisions that we do. You may not always agree with us and all the decisions that we make but to the greatest degree possible, you won't be surprised at the course that we take and you will know for certain why we've chosen it."
With Canadian Press.
