Outrageous: Seamus O’Regan is Canada’s next Natural Resources Minister

The appointment of Seamus O’Regan as Canada’s next Natural Resources Minister shows that Justin Trudeau has clearly not learned his lesson from the 43rd general election.

Electors returned zero seats to Trudeau in both Alberta and Saskatchewan when all the votes were counted on October 21st.

These two prairie provinces are blessed by oil and gas but are desperately frustrated by their inability to get their resources to market.

Seamus O’Regan is best known for having a morning show on CTV, and and for being in Justin Trudeau’s wedding party.

So it stood to reason that O’Regan would be either a close advisor or something more formal when Trudeau won the 2015 election and O’Regan won his seat in St. John’s South—Mount Pearl.

Seamus O'Regan is the Minister of Natural Resources
Seamus O’Regan Natural Resources Minister

Enter Seamus O’Regan

As Veterans Affairs Minister, O’Regan tried to relate to his stakeholders by comparing the sunsetting of his own career as a broadcaster to the challenges faced by active military service personal as they transition to civilian life.

Not great.

But Justin Trudeau indicated that veterans aren’t on his priority list anyway as he famously remarked to a veterans that his brothers and sisters are “asking for more than we are able to give“. So Seamus coasted until the Trudeau inner circle had another problem to solve.

When Gerald Butts shuffled Jody Wilson-Reybould out of Justice where she was making too much trouble for Trudeau’s principle secretary, she was moved to the Indigenous Services ministry. Butts argued argued that the best person should take over the file. Wilson-Reybould flatly refused the position.

Enter Seamus O’Regan.

O’Regan’s tenure at Indigenous Services was marked by gross insentivity, tweeting a glamour shot of himself being pensive about reconciliation next to a passenger of his Challenger private jet.

Seamus O'Regan tweets about reconciliation from a private jet
Seamus O’Regan later deleted the tweet

The Trudeau government has not made reconciliation with First Nations a priority. While they’ve paid a lot of lip service to the issues and the recommendations of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, O’Regan fights compensation for First Nations childrens services in court.

Alberta and Saskatchewan have found themselves in a polarized position against Justin Trudeau and his backers in the rest of Canada. The prime minister’s failure to build pipelines and his failure to negotiate right-of-passage to tidewater for Canada’s energy infrastructure are problems that are worse enough. He also insists that his ultimate goal is to ‘phase out’ the oilsands. This attitude is fomenting Western alienation.

Will Justin Trudeau’s government be humbled by being shut-out in these two Western provinces? Will Trudeau hold out a fig-leaf and appoint a Minister of Natural Resources that will hit the ground running and fight for Canadian energy workers?

Enter Seamus O’Regan.

At Natural Resources, Trudeau has appointed O’Regan to take over one the prime minister’s most neglected files. Predictably, Conservatives and media observers have reacted with shock and exasperation.

Michelle Rempel reacts to Seamus O’Regan’s appointment as Natural Resources Minister
The National Post’s Chris Selley is shocked by the O’Regan news

Canada’s energy workers will be the most affected by the shuffle of O’Regan to Natural Resources. They are already indicating that the appointment does not give them much confidence.

A western geologist and exploration worker weighs in

Justin Trudeau views the oil and gas sector in opposition to his agenda of renewable energy and reduced carbon emissions. Yet, the sector makes up for 15% of Canada’s GDP and spins off hundreds of thousands of primary and secondary jobs. Meanwhile, Canadian innovation continues to drive down the CO2 emissions produced from the extraction of oil from Canada’s bituminous sands.

Trudeau would not be so cavalier and neglectful of carbon-intensive industries such as auto-making in southern Ontario and cement production in the Gaspé region of Quebec.

With Seamus O’Regan’s appointment as Minister of Natural Resources, Justin Trudeau is presiding over more-and-more division among Canada’s provinces.

Harper’s a gas

I have it on good authority that the Prime Minister will be appearing on the season finale of CTV’s Corner Gas. The episode will air on March 12th.

This should give the PM some good publicity as the show has been averaging about 1.6 million viewers per show.

I’ve never seen the show, but as a loyal viewer of CTV Newsnet, I can tell you that Season 3 is now available on DVD and can tell you the words of the first 10 seconds of that damn theme song (as I’ve heard it 1.6 million times). Oh, and wouldn’t it be nice to get a CHIP reverse mortgage?

You think there’s not a lot going on / But look closer, baby, you’re so wrong / And that’s why you can stay so long…

UPDATE: Here’s the CTV media release dated March 6th:

CTV Program Alert – March 6, 2007

Out of Gas: Brent Closes Shop and Lacey Moves Home as Corner Gas Wraps Up, March 12 on CTV

Prime Minister Stephen Harper; Canada AM’s Seamus O’Regan and Beverly Thomson guest star in the most unforgettable Corner Gas episode ever

Season high 1.81 million watch last night’s penultimate episode on CTV

**** WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD ****

Corner Gas goes out with a bang in the series’ most unexpected episode ever when what seems like a great idea to increase tourism in Dog River actually makes things worse beyond Hank’s wildest dreams. Guest starring Prime Minister Stephen Harper and Canada AM’s Seamus O’Regan and Beverly Thomson, Corner Gas wraps up Monday, March 12 at 8 p.m. ET on CTV with a shocking but ultimately fitting conclusion that will leave Corner Gas fans talking for years. The episode also airs Saturday, March 17 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on The Comedy Network and on demand on The CTV Broadband Network at CTV.ca.

In Monday’s monumental episode, entitled “Gopher It,” Dog River is run rampant with prairie dogs – or gophers – among other alarming events. When Prime Minister Stephen Harper becomes the second PM since Diefenbaker to visit Dog River, he wades into a local controversy which he blames on the previous Liberal government. As the episode unfolds, Brent closes shop, Lacey moves home, and the fate of Hank, Oscar, Emma, Wanda, Karen and Davis are put into question – not to mention Corner Gas itself.

“This episode is for our loyal viewers who have supported the series for the past four seasons,” said Executive Producer, Virginia Thompson. “We hope they love it as much as we enjoyed making it.”

Last night’s Corner Gas episode was watched by a season high 1.81 million viewers. With an average audience of 1.7 million in 2007, Corner Gas will end the season as Canada’s No. 1 comedy series – Canadian or American – currently ranking #14 in the Top 20 chart of Canada’s most-watched programs. Since the television phenomenon launched in January 2004, no original episode in its entire four-season run has ever delivered an audience of less than one million viewers. With Monday’s finale, Corner Gas is poised to deliver its 69th consecutive million-plus episode, an unprecedented achievement in Canadian television history.

Visit the Corner Gas Web site at Cornergas.com.