WINNIPEG (Jan. 13, 2012) -- Premier Greg Selinger today announced the creation of a new children and youth opportunities department and made changes to cabinet, which he said will create new energy.

The newly appointed ministers are:
• Kevin Chief, minister of children and youth opportunities; and
• Ron Kostyshyn, minister of agriculture, food and rural initiatives.
“We have a strong, experienced cabinet and today we’re adding two exciting new MLAs to our team,” said Selinger. “Kevin’s already made a difference in the lives of many youth and in his new role, he’ll be in charge of creating opportunities for more kids and keeping them out of crime. As a farmer himself, Ron will bring a strong voice for the priorities of farmers, producers and rural families to the cabinet table.”

The premier said the conservation and water stewardship departments will merge and he thanked several veteran ministers for their contributions and assigned them key new responsibilities.
The veteran MLAs with new responsibilities are:
• Jennifer Howard, minister of family services and labour;
• Gord Mackintosh, minister of conservation and water stewardship;
• Christine Melnick, minister of immigration and multiculturalism; and
• Jim Rondeau, minister of healthy living, seniors and consumer affairs.

“These are ministers who have worked tirelessly to make life better for Manitoba families. I’m grateful for all that they’ve done and I’m excited to see them take on their new responsibilities,” said Selinger.

The premier said other strong members of his experienced cabinet team will maintain their responsibilities through challenging economic times and in the lead up to important federal/provincial discussions.

Selinger also announced the creation of a new Priorities and Planning Committee of Cabinet. He said the new committee will be tasked with co-ordinating key government priorities to help meet the needs of Manitoba families and keep jobs and the economy growing.