O’Regan, Qualtrough embrace tough new cabinet files: procurement and veterans
OTTAWA — A pair of relative political rookies — Seamus O’Regan and Carla Qualtrough — have been tapped to guide two of the federal Liberal government’s most complex and politically sensitive portfolios: military procurement and veterans affairs.
The appointments — Public Services and Procurement for Qualtrough, Veterans Affairs for O’Regan — are big jumps for the pair, who will be wrestling with some difficult challenges even before the ink on their swearing-in papers has dried.
O’Regan’s appointment was the more high-profile move, given his background as a national TV host before being elected to federal office in 2015.
The rookie backbencher from St. John’s takes over from Calgary MP Kent Hehr, who was demoted to minister for sport and persons with disabilities after a rough tenure in the veterans’ portfolio.