16 July 2013

The Honourable Shelly Glover

Congratulations to The Honourable Shelly Glover who as of Monday's Cabinet shuffle becomes Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Library and Archives Canada is within her portfolio.
Her background, given at http://pm.gc.ca/eng/bio.asp?id=103, includes experience as Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages (May 2008), Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (August 2010), and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Finance (January 2011). Prior to her election as MP for St Boniface (MB) in 2008 she had served for 19 years with the Winnipeg Police Service. She is a Métis.
Her previous experience as Parliamentary Secretary for Official Languages gives her a background in part of the responsibilities of the portfolio, but I can find no indication in her bio material of previous interest in heritage.
On the positive side she will bring a fresh perspective to some of the challenges, and may be less inclined to wash her hands of the issues at Library and Archives Canada than her predecessor. She may even see the desirability of making an early popular move by ordering release of the 1921 census.
She will likely have less of a say in the appointment of the next Librarian and Archivist of Canada than James Moore would have had.
Every new Minister gets a mandate letter from the Prime Minister's Office laying out the priorities to be addressed. Among those will likely be commemorations of the centennial of the Great War and putting in place management arrangements for the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation in 2017. There's also the "Study of Significant Aspects in Canadian History"just started by the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage which will have a new chair as Rob Moore returns to Cabinet as Minister of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency..


1 comment:

J said...

Winnipeggers have mixed feelings about this Cabinet appointment. Ms Glover is expected to be the Big Voice for Manitoba, now that Vic Toews has retired.