There's no shortage of rural representation in the new government's new cabinet.

Premier Brian Pallister and 12 members of the Progressive Conservative Cabinet were sworn in at a ceremony yesterday, with 7 ministers from the rural area, including Portage la Prairie MLA Ian Wishart taking on the role of Minister of education and training.

Meanwhile, Agassiz MLA Eileen Clarke, a new face in the party, has been named Minister of Indigenous and Municipal Relations. As part of the PC's goal to reduce the number of cabinet positions, Clarke's role marks a combination for the former Aboriginal and Northern Affairs and Municipal Affairs roles. She says it's a transition that just makes sense.

"I think it's a really good mix. I met with Sandy Bay First Nation in my constituency prior to this election. We had a great meeting, and talked about building partnerships. That was our key focus, building partnerships one step at a time. I think that's exactly what we had the opportunity to do, and I look forward to meeting more partners within that journey."

She says her previous role as a director for the Association of Manitoba Municipalities will bode well for her, given her good relationships with municipal leaders across Manitoba.

Steinbach MLA Kelvin Gortzen's another rural MLA to be named to a Cabinet position. He's looking forward to serving as the Minister of Health, Seniors, and Active Living, noting wait times will be a key focus in his role. When asked about doctor shortages leading to nurse managed care concerns in IERHA, he says it's a challenge they're willing to take on.

"We talked about ensuring we have proper training and retention. I'll have more to say about that in terms of the policies we have. It's a little early, as I was sworn in 25 minutes ago, but it was certainly something we had talked about in the campaign, the need to recruit doctors and to keep them. That's a challenge not just in Manitoba but in other jurisdictions, but we want to take on that challenge."

Yesterday's Cabinet announcements also marked a shift for one of the rural PC MLAs. Morden-Winkler MLA Cameron Friesen has been assigned the Minister of Finance role, after serving as the finance critic with the Tories where in opposition. He says there's no shortage of work to be done, criticizing the former NDP approach when it came to reporting the province's financial situation.

"We know what the former finance minister presented in the spring, and we know his numbers were immediately challenged both by us, and others across the province. Now we're going to do this discovery to find out where we really are as a province. Is it the seven hundred and something million dollars of deficit the previous finance minister indicated, or will it be closer to a billion dollars?"

With the budget coming out in just a few weeks, Friesen says they're hitting the ground running. He says they're aiming to present the best budget possible, but adds they would have liked to have a little more time.

Other rural MLAs to be named to cabinet include Lakeside's Ralph Eichler as Minister of Agriculture, Spruce Woods MLA Cliff Cullen as Minister of Growth, Enterprise, and Trade, and Midland MLA Blaine Pedersen as the Minister of Infrastructure.