Fassbender Out as Education Minister, Premier Clark Shuffles Cabinet

Surrey-Fleetwood Liberal MLA Peter Fassbender has a new cabinet job as minister responsible for TransLink, as well as community, sport and cultural development.

Fassbender replaces Coralee Oakes who is now the Minister of Small Business, Red Tape Reduction, and Minister Responsible for the Liquor Distribution Branch.

The ministry is just one year into a new six-year contract with the province’s teachers, which comes in the wake of the most recent episode in an ongoing dispute between the B.C. Teachers’ Federation and the B.C. government.

“Is it totally mismanaged?”

“Very often we look for silver bullets to fix things when really what it takes is collaboration, consensus building, the opportunity to find solutions that ensure that we do not destroy some of the good things that are going on”, he said.

NDP transportation critic Claire Trevena called the shift in TransLink responsibility a “slapdown” for Stone “because he hasn’t delivered”. He was elected into the legislature for the Peace River South district in the 2013 provincial election.

And Naomi Yamamoto becomes Minister of State for Emergency Preparedness, which falls under transportation.

Taking over as Minister of Education is Mike Bernier who was the parliamentary secretary for the environment minister. Sturdy also will chair the Climate Leadership Panel.