Prime Minister Stephen Harper expanded his cabinet in January, 2007, from 27 to 32 positions, as five new junior cabinet positions were created and eight ministers were shuffled. In his Aug. 14, 2007 shuffle, he didn’t create any new positions but moved around some key players.

The three main moves:

Peter MacKay replaces Gordon O'Connor as the minister of defence
Maxime Bernier moves from industry to foreign affairs, replacing MacKay
Jim Prentice shifts to the industry portfolio from Indian affairs
One minister left cabinet. Saskatchewan MP and former Revenue Minister Carol Skelton had indicated she wouldn’t be running in the next election, and so she was left out in this shuffle.

The Afghanistan mission is seen as the government’s biggest foreign policy challenge, and MacKay and Bernier are seen as capable communicators. Prentice is one of Harper’s most trusted ministers, and will take over a portfolio that is expected to grow in importance as the Conservative minority government starts to work on a longer-term policy agenda.

The prime minister said his government’s priorities would remain:
Defending Canada's sovereignty;
Keeping the economy strong and taxes low;
Tackling crime;
Protecting the environment; and
Strengthening the federation at home and abroad.
For more on who holds which post, click through the names (left) in CTV.ca's interactive.

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