FREDERICTON (CNB) – Premier David Alward and the members of the Executive Council were sworn in at a ceremony held today at the Legislative Assembly in Fredericton.
"Today I am honoured to assume the role of Premier of New Brunswick," Alward said. "While traveling our beautiful province, I have been inspired and I pledge to do everything in my power to overcome the many challenges we face in order to achieve the promise and greatness of New Brunswick."
The swearing-in ceremony for the premier and ministers was presided over by Lt.-Gov. Graydon Nicholas. Newly elected members of the legislature, their families and invited guests attended the ceremony.
In keeping with tradition, Alward named the members recommended for appointment. The lieutenant-governor then signed the orders of appointment. Nicholas then administered the Oath of Allegiance and the Executive Councillor's Oath to each member of the Executive Council.
The premier recommended the assignment of ministerial responsibilities and the lieutenant-governor then signed the orders of assignment for each member.
The composition of the executive council reflects the commitment made in the campaign platform to reduce the size of cabinet to 15 members plus the premier.
"Reducing the size of cabinet is about leading by example," Alward said in his address. "As your government, we will work every day to earn the trust New Brunswickers have placed in us. We must make our province stronger. We must make our people stronger. We must make our economy stronger. And we will begin that work right away.""
Alward said that long-serving MLA for Carleton and former minister Dale Graham will let his name stand for Speaker of the Legislature.
"I am grateful that Dale Graham has agreed to have his name stand for election as the next speaker of the New Brunswick Legislature," Alward said. "He is much respected on both sides of the house and would make an excellent speaker."
Following his address, the premier and the 15 other executive council members gathered inside the Legislative Assembly chamber for an official photo. Afterward, a brief cabinet meeting was held.
Executive Council Members
David Alward
Premier, President of the Executive Council, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Minister responsible for Aboriginal Affairs, Minister responsible for the Premier's Council on the Status of Disabled Persons, Minister responsible for Citizens' Engagement, Minister responsible for the Office of Government Review, Chair of the Policy and Priorities Committee of Cabinet.
First elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999, Alward was re-elected in 2003 and sworn in as minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture in June of that year. He was re-elected for a third term in the September 2006 provincial election and again in 2010 as representative for Woodstock.
On Oct. 18, 2008, he was elected leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick. Alward was sworn in as premier of New Brunswick on Oct. 12, 2010.
He was born on Dec. 2, 1959, in Beverly, Mass., and is the son of Rev. Ford and Jean Alward. He graduated from Nackawic Senior High School and completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at Bryan College, Dayton, Tenn. He has also completed course work toward a Master of Arts degree in Counselling Psychology.
Alward was employed with the federal government from 1982 until 1996. From 1996 to 1999, he was self-employed as a human resource development and community development consultant.
Active in his community, he volunteered as an emergency medical technician and laboratory instructor with the St. John Ambulance and as a firefighter with the Meductic fire department. He served on the board of directors of the Carleton Regional Development Commission and the New Brunswick Hereford Association.
Alward and his wife, Rhonda, live in Riceville with their two sons, Jonathan and Benjamin. He and his family operate a small family farm and own and operate a small woodlot.
Marie-Claude Blais
Attorney General, Minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs
Marie-Claude Blais has practiced law for the past 12 years. She has earned law degrees from the Université de Moncton and the Université de Sherbrooke.
A resident of Moncton for more than 15 years, Blais has been involved in numerous community organizations, including Club 6-12, Portage Atlantic and Moncton Rotary Club.
She has been involved with the Progressive Conservative Party since 1997, most recently serving as the provincial executive director and legal counsel. Blais was elected to represent Moncton North in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election.
She was sworn in as Attorney General and minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs on Oct. 12, 2010.
Blais is married to Paul Doiron and is the mother of twins, Emma and Thomas.
Robert Trevors
Minister of Public Safety
Robert Trevors was born and raised in the City of Miramichi.
Trevors served until recently as executive assistant to federal MP Tilly O'Neill-Gordon. He also served three terms on Miramichi City Council.
Trevors has extensive knowledge of the forestry industry, having spent 28 years working in the industry, including 22 years in a management position at UPM Kymmene Miramichi. He also volunteers for minor, junior and senior hockey in the Miramichi region, holding various executive positions.
He was elected to represent Miramichi Centre in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of Public Safety on Oct. 12, 2010.
Trevors is married to Sherry Trevors. They have one daughter, a son-in-law and two granddaughters.
Blaine Higgs
Minister of Finance, Minister of Human Resources, Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Liquor Corporation, Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Investment Management Corporation, Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Lotteries and Gaming Corporation, Chair of the Board of Management.
Blaine Higgs has an extensive background in business and has worked in various departments of Irving Oil Ltd. since 1977.
He graduated in 1977 with a Bachelor in Science in Mechanical Engineering from the University of New Brunswick. He later completed a 4th Class Stationary Engineering program. In 1993, he completed the Executive Management Training Program at Queen's University. He has also taken courses both in Finance and Leadership and Influence at Babson Executive Training and Education.
Higgs is a member of the Kennebecasis United Baptist Church, a member of the Association of Professional Engineers of the Province of New Brunswick, and past vice chair of the New Brunswick Gateway Council.
He was elected to represent Quispamsis in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of finance and minister of human resources on Oct. 12, 2010.
Higgs and his wife, Marcia, are the parents of four daughters - Lindsey, Laura, Sarah and Rachel.
Claude Williams
Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure (responsible for Transportation, Supply and Services and the New Brunswick Internal Services Agency)
Claude Williams was first elected to the New Brunswick legislature in a 2001 byelection.
He was re-elected in the 2003 provincial election and was sworn in as a member of the Executive Council and appointed minister of education in February 2006.
Re-elected in the September 2006 election, Williams served as official Opposition critic for transportation, fisheries, official languages and la Francophonie. He was re-elected in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and sworn in as minister of transportation and infrastructure on Oct, 12, 2010.
Williams served as executive assistant to Omer Léger, MLA for Kent South (1971-1978, 1982-1987), before becoming regional co-ordinator for the New Brunswick Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Aquaculture. He holds a Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the Université de Moncton.
Active in his community, he was chair and member of the District 12 school board from 1981 to 1987 and was a member of the board of directors of the Caisse populaire de Saint-Antoine and president of the Kent South section of Canadian Mental Health Association. He also served as a municipal councillor in Saint-Antoine in the 1980s.
Williams and his wife, Bernice LeBlanc, have two daughters, Vicky and Monica.
Bruce Northrup
Minister of Natural Resources
Bruce Northrup was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in the 2006 election and was re-elected in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election. He was sworn in as minister of natural resources on Oct. 12, 2010.
He served as official Opposition critic for issues relating to energy and NB Power and as the critic for interests related to the Department of Natural Resources. He was the official Opposition whip.
He is involved in various charities and sports activities in the Sussex region. He has coached hockey, baseball and soccer teams. He is past-president of Sussex Minor Hockey and past vice-president of the Sussex area Children's Wish Foundation.
Northrup lives with his wife, Kim, in Sussex. They have two adult children - Jessica and Brad.
Craig Leonard
Minister of Energy, Minister responsible for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency of New Brunswick
Craig Leonard is a Fredericton businessman with more than 15 years of senior management experience.
Most recently, he was vice-president of Leonard Corporation, a management and holding company involved in the transportation, building materials and language-training industries.
An active volunteer, Leonard has dedicated his time to various capital city organizations, including Harvest Jazz & Blues, the Chalmers Hospital Regional Foundation, and several youth sports programs. He was elected to represent Fredericton-Lincoln in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of energy and minister responsible for the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Agency of New Brunswick on Oct. 12, 2010.
Leonard has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Davidson College in North Carolina.
He and his wife, Jill Davidson, have two children - William and Wallis.
Mike Olscamp
Minister of Agriculture, Aquaculture and Fisheries
Mike Olscamp was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in the 2006 provincial election and was re-elected in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election. He was sworn in as minister of agriculture, aquaculture and fisheries on Oct. 12, 2010.
An educator, Olscamp served as vice-principal of Tantramar Regional High School in the early 1980s. In the early 1990s he was recruited as the director of inmate programs at the Westmorland Institution in Dorchester. He later returned to teaching, first at Port Elgin Regional Memorial School and then Tantramar Regional High School where he taught history and French.
Olscamp has also spent the past 30 years coaching Tantramar area youth, with a focus on basketball and football.
He has a Bachelor of Education (Vocational Education) from the Université de Moncton.
Olscamp and his wife, Karen, live in Sackville and have two sons, Andrew and William.
Madeleine (Mado) Dubé
Minister of Health
Madeleine (Mado) Dubé was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999.
She was re-elected in the 2003 election and sworn in as minister of Education in June of that year. In February 2006, she was appointed minister of Family and Community Services.
She was re-elected in the 2006 election and was named Opposition critic for various portfolios, including Social Development. She was re-elected as representative for Edmundston-Saint-Basile in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election. She was sworn in as minister of health on Oct. 12, 2010.
Prior to politics she worked as a social worker and was co-owner and president of a human development agency.
Dubé has a degree in social work from the Université de Moncton and has completed course work towards a Masters of Social Work with a specialization in group intervention at Université Laval.
She lives in Edmundston with her husband, Mike, and two children, Shawn and Paryse.
Trevor Holder
Minister of Wellness, Culture and Sport, Minister of Tourism and Parks
Trevor Holder was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999.
He was re-elected in the 2003 provincial election and served on various committees until he was sworn in as minister of Environment and Local Government in 2005.
He was re-elected in the 2006 election and served as Opposition critic for post-secondary education. He was re-elected as representative for Saint John Portland in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election. Holder was sworn in as minister of wellness, culture and sport and minister of tourism and parks on Oct. 12, 2010.
He received a Bachelor of Arts in political science and history from the University of New Brunswick in Saint John (UNBSJ) in 1995. While at UNBSJ, he served as president of the Student Council, on the UNBSJ Senate and as president of the UNBSJ Progressive Conservative Youth Association. A financial planner, he was employed with London Life Insurance Company in Saint John from 1996 until his election in 1999.
He served on the executive of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick and on the Saint John Portland Progressive Conservative Association. Active in the Saint John community, he is a member and past president of the United Empire Loyalist Association, a member of the Canadian Association of Financial and Insurance Advisors, is active in his church and has volunteered with a number of community organizations.
He and his wife, Brenda, and daughters Margaret, and Katherine, live in Saint John.
Susan (Sue) Stultz
Minister of Social Development, Minister responsible for Seniors, Housing and Community Non-Profit Organizations
Susan (Sue) Stultz owned and operated a small business in Moncton for more than 25 years, until her retirement in 2008. She was elected to represent Moncton West in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of social development, minister responsible for seniors and minister responsible for housing on Oct. 12, 2010.
Stultz has volunteered for numerous organizations and charities in her community. She served as president of Food Depot Alimentaire, the distribution centre for more than 20 food banks in southeastern New Brunswick. She is well known for her annual Christmas turkey campaign that resulted in thousands of turkeys being donated to less fortunate families in the region.
In addition, she has been recognized for her countless hours of volunteer work, having received the Muriel Fergusson Award, Queen's Golden Jubilee Medal, and International YMCA Peace Medal, among others.
Stultz and her husband Bruce have two daughters and two grandchildren.
Martine Coulombe
Minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour
Martine Coulombe is a former small business owner originally from Saint-Quentin. She was elected to represent Restigouche-la-Vallée in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour on Oct. 12, 2010.
Coulombe owned her own hair salon for 35 years and has been actively engaged in her community as well. She has worked with various organizations, including catechism, charity ball events and community theatre.
She is married to Patrice and has three children and two grandchildren.
Jody Carr
Minister of Education and Early Childhood Development, Minister responsible for the New Brunswick Provincial Capital Commission
Jody Carr was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999.
He was re-elected in 2003 and served on a number of committees until he was sworn in as minister of post-secondary education and training in February, 2006. He was re-elected in the September 2006 provincial election and was named Opposition critic for several portfolios, including justice and consumer affairs.
He was re-elected as representative for Oromocto in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of education and early childhood development on Oct. 12, 2010.
In 1995, at 20 years old, he was the youngest Progressive Conservative Party candidate in New Brunswick history when he ran in the riding of Oromocto-Gagetown. He was co-chair of the 1997 Progressive Conservative leadership convention and worked as a researcher in the Office of the Official Opposition.
Carr attended the University of New Brunswick, where he graduated with a degree in business administration in 1998, majoring in economics.
Carr is married to Krista and they have two daughters. They reside in Burton.
Margaret-Ann Blaney
Minister of Environment, Minister responsible for the Status of Women, Minister responsible for Communications New Brunswick
Margaret-Ann Blaney was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 1999.
She served as minister of transportation until October 2001 when she was appointed minister of public safety. Following her re-election in 2003, Blaney was appointed minister of training and employment development and labour. She served as minister responsible for the Status of Women for seven years.
Blaney was re-elected in 2006 and named Opposition critic for several portfolios, including Health. She was re-elected as representative for Rothesay in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election. She was sworn in as minister of environment, minister responsible for the status of women and minister responsible for Communications New Brunswick on Oct. 12, 2010.
She is an honours graduate of Memorial University, where she received her degree and did post-graduate work in social work and psychology.
Blaney has volunteered for numerous organizations, including the Rotary Club, Children's Miracle Network Telethon, and the Saint John Community Loan Fund.
Blaney and her husband have a son and a daughter and live in Rothesay.
Bruce Fitch
Minister of Local Government, Minister responsible for Service New Brunswick
Bruce Fitch was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in 2003. He was sworn in as minister of energy that year. He was appointed minister of Justice and Consumer Affairs in 2006.
Fitch was re-elected in the 2006 election and served as Opposition critic for finance. He was re-elected as representative for Riverview in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of local government and minister responsible for Service New Brunswick on Oct. 12, 2010.
His political career began in 1989 when he was elected to Riverview town council. He served as mayor for Riverview from 1998 to 2001.
Prior to politics, Fitch worked several years in the insurance industry before joining Scotia Bank. He ended his banking career as a full-service broker with ScotiaMcLeod. He has served on a variety of boards, including the Codiac Regional Police board, and the board of Lakeview Manor Senior Citizens Home.
He and his wife, Nancy, have three children - Lauren, Lucas and Jenna.
Paul Robichaud
Minister of Economic Development (responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, Business New Brunswick, Invest NB, Northern New Brunswick Initiative, and Rural Affairs), Minister responsible for the Francophonie, Deputy Premier, Government House Leader
Paul Robichaud was first elected to the New Brunswick Legislative Assembly in the 1999 provincial election.
Robichaud served as minister of agriculture, fisheries and aquaculture before being named minister of tourism and parks, and minister responsible for the Francophonie. He was re-elected in 2003 and was sworn in as minister of transportation. He also acted as deputy government house leader.
Re-elected in 2006, Robichaud served as Opposition house leader and energy critic. He was re-elected in the Sept. 27, 2010 provincial election and was sworn in as minister of economic development, minister responsible for the Francophonie, deputy premier and government house leader on Oct. 12, 2010.
A native of Shippagan, Robichaud has also worked as a special assistant to a former provincial fisheries minister and as executive assistant to a former federal minister of employment and immigration.
From 1993 until the June 7, 1999, provincial election, Robichaud was the organizing director of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.
Robichaud attended the Shippagan campus of the Université de Moncton.
He is married to Nathalie Robichaud, and they have one son, Alexandre.
