Braid: Carney snubbed Calgary by passing up a brilliant choice for cabinet
Prime Minister Mark Carney, a hockey zealot, refused to pass the puck to Calgary.
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Hogan seemed certain to get in. He's one of only two Liberal MPs elected in the province.
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But, no, not a whiff.
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Maybe that's not surprising from a PM who grew up in Edmonton and gets to skate with the Oilers.
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He has been vice-president of communications at U of C and has served in senior roles with the Alberta government.
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Carney could have lopped off part of her large portfolio — maybe prairie development — and given it to Hogan as a junior minister.
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Liberals will say it's all our fault because we don't generally elect Liberals.
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That's exactly right. It's also exactly why a Liberal who does manage to get elected in Calgary should get a cabinet post.
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George Chahal, defeated in the recent election, was permanently barred from cabinet after his doorstep violation of campaign rules in 2021.
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Kent Hehr made cabinet after the Justin Trudeau victory in 2015.
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Before that, there hadn't been a Liberal minister from Calgary since Pat Mahoney in 1972.
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Nobody disputes that Edmonton deserves a full minister. But in this prime minister's mind, Calgary does not.
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He had a chance to break the city's drought and simply ignored it.
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Another Liberal with a background somewhat similar to Hogan's is Evan Solomon, the former CBC host.
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He becomes minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, and minister for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
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His riding? Toronto Centre, which also serves as the centre of the universe for the Liberal party.
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