Paul Martin named his first cabinet as an elected prime minister Tuesday, staying with stalwarts like Finance Minister Ralph Goodale and Deputy PM Anne McLellan, while adding new blood in the form of NHL Hall of Famer Ken Dryden and former B.C. premier Ujjal Dosanjh.

"The voices of every region in this country will be heard around the decision making table," Martin told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall.




"This cabinet was created to hit the ground running – to provide dependable, spirited administration, to deliver real progress on the issues that matter most to Canadians."

Martin had some room to manoeuvre with this cabinet because he lost six ministers in the June 28 election, which left the Liberals with only 135 seats and a minority government.

Gone are Bob Speller (Agriculture), Stan Keyes (Revenue), David Pratt (Defence), Hélène Scherrer (Canadian Heritage), Gar Knutson (New and Emerging Markets) and Rey Pagtakhan (Western Economic Diversification).

Newcomer Dosanjh takes over the crucial Health portfolio from Pierre Pettigrew, who moves to Foreign Affairs. Pettigrew replaces Bill Graham, who becomes national defence minister in lieu of Pratt.

Dryden takes on the Social Development portfolio from Liza Frulla, who moves to Canadian Heritage to replace the defeated Scherrer. Frulla takes on responsibility for the Status of Women file as well.

Martin left some big-name ministers out in the cold, including former environment minister David Anderson and Denis Coderre, who was once president of the Privy Council, but may come under some unpleasant scrutiny when the sponsorship inquiry resumes this fall.

Also missing are former minister of state for financial institutions Denis Paradis and former minister of state for multiculturalism and status of women Jean Augustine.

Here are the other changes:

  • Stephane Dion, Jean Chrétien's former intergovernmental affairs minister, is back in favour and in the cabinet after throwing himself wholeheartedly into helping re-elect Martin, who had demoted him. He is Canada's new environment minister.
  • Jean Lapierre, who left the Liberals in 1990 to help create the Bloc Québécois before returning to his old party at Martin's invitation, is transport minister and Quebec lieutenant.
  • Former Canfor executive David Emerson of British Columbia becomes industry minister.
  • Toronto-area MP John Godfrey will handle the new Infrastructure and Communities portfolio, which will play a key role in shoring up Liberal support in Canada's largest municipalities.
  • Scott Brison, who ran for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative party in the spring of 2003, then switched to the Liberal party in December after his old party merged with the Canadian Alliance, takes over the portfolio of Public Works, home of the sponsorship scandal.
  • Former transport minister Tony Valeri is the new government House leader in the House of Commons, an important role in a minority government as the Liberals negotiate with the opposition parties to move legislation through Parliament.
  • Stephen Owen moves from Public Works to Western Economic Diversification and also becomes minister of state for Sport.
  • Lucienne Robillard is the new intergovernmental affairs minister and president of the Privy Council, moving from Industry.
  • Tony Ianno was rewarded for beating NDP star Olivia Chow in Toronto Spadina, taking over the brand-new portfolio of minister of state for families and caregivers, under Dryden's social development portfolio.
  • Albina Guarnieri becomes the new veterans affairs minister.
  • Jacques Saada is the new minister of economic development for Quebec and minister responsible for the Francophonie.
  • Former veterans affairs minister John McCallum becomes minister of national revenue.
  • Andy Mitchell moves from Indian and Northern Affairs to Agriculture and Agrifood, taking on the troublesome mad cow disease file.
  • Former minister Andy Scott of New Brunswick is back in cabinet as minister of Indian and northern affairs.
  • Former labour minister Claudette Bradshaw is minister of state for human resources development.
  • Joe Fontana is the new labour and housing minister.
  • Mauril Bélanger becomes deputy leader of the government in the House of Commons and minister for official languages, as well as associate minister of national defence.
  • Raymond Chan is the new minister of state for multiculturalism.

Among the ministers staying in the same portfolios are Reg Alcock at Treasury Board and the Canadian Wheat Board, Irwin Cotler at Justice and the Attorney-General's Office, Carolyn Bennett at Public Health, Joe Volpe at Human Resources and Skills Development, Geoff Regan at Fisheries and Oceans, Jim Peterson at International Trade, Judy Sgro at Citizenship and Immigration, Aileen Carroll at International Co-operation, Joe McGuire for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, John Efford at Natural Resources, and Joe Comuzzi for the Federal Economic Development Initiative for Northern Ontario.

Senator Jacob Austin remains the Liberal house leader in the Senate, to which he was appointed in 1975.

Another well-known minister, Ethel Blondin-Andrew, won't know if she's in cabinet for at least another day or two.

A judicial recount will determine whether she retains her Western Arctic seat after June 28 left her with a 52-vote margin over her nearest rival, NDP candidate Dennis Bevington.

If Blondin-Andrew's victory is confirmed, Martin said, she will become the ninth woman in his 41-member cabinet.

By comparison, the cabinet he named in December 2003, shortly after taking over from Chrétien, held 11 women.

Martin defended the gender balance of his cabinet by saying that of the 33 female Liberals elected three weeks ago, "18 are being sworn in as either ministers, ministers of state or parliamentary secretaries." That amounts to about 55 per cent, he pointed out.