Philippe Couillard unveils new Liberal cabinet

Quebec Premier Philippe Couillard unveiled hiscabinet of 26 ministers Wednesday afternoon, namingCarlos Leitao to the key post of finance, Gatan Barrette to Health and Social Services andLiseThriaultto Public Security making her the first woman to be named as head of thatministry.

The cabinet was announced at a swearing-inceremony presided over by Quebec's Lt.-Gov.Pierre Duchesne at the National Assembly in Quebec City.

Couillard was the first take the oath of office, which confirmed him as the 31st premier ofQuebec.

Here are the new ministers and their portfolios:

• CarlosLeitao: Minister of Finance
• LiseThriault: Deputy-Premier and Minister ofPublic Security
• Jean-Marc Fournier : Minister ofCanadian IntergovernmentalAffairs, Minister of CanadianFrancophonie, and Minister responsible for the reform of democratic institutions and access to information
• Pierre Moreau: Minister of Municipal Affairs, Minister responsible for the Montrgie
• Martin Coiteux: Treasury Board President and Minister ofGovernment Administration
• Jacques Daoust: Minister ofEconomic Development, Innovation and Exports
• Sam Hamad: Minister of Labour and Minister responsible for the Quebec City region
• Pierre Paradis: Minister of Agriculture, Food and Fisheries and Minister responsible for the Eastern Townships
• Francine Charbonneau:Minister responsible for Seniors andthe Family, Minister responsible for the fight against bullying, and Minister responsible for Laval.
• StphaneBillette: Government whip
• Nicole Mnard: Chair of the Liberal caucus
• Hlne David: Minister of Culture and Communications, Minister responsible for the promotion and protection of the French language
• Stphanie Valle: Minister of Justice,Minister for the Status of Women and Minister responsible for the Outaouais Region
• Christine St-Pierre: Minister of International Affairs andFrancophonie
• Yves Bolduc: Minister of Education, Leisure and Sports, Minister of Post-Secondary Studies, Research and Science, andMinister responsible for the North Shore
• Kathleen Weil: Minister of Immigration, Diversity and Inclusion
• Gatan Barrette: Minister of Health and Social Services
• David Heurtel:Minister of Sustainable Development,Environment and the fight against Climate Change
• Dominique Vien: Minister of Tourism and Minister Responsible forChaudire-Appalaches
• Robert Poeti: Minister of Transportand Minister Responsible for Montreal
• Pierre Arcand: Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, Minister for the Plan Nord and Minister responsible for the Lanaudiereand Laurentians
• Francois Blais: Minister ofEmployment and Social Solidarity
• Laurent Lessard: Minister of Forests, Wildlife and Parks, and the Minister responsible for Central Quebec
• Geoffrey Kelley: Minister of Aboriginal Affairs
• Jean D'Amour: Minister of Transport and Maritime Strategy Implementation, and Minister responsible for the Lower St. Lawrence, Gasp and les-de-la-Madeleine.
• Lucie Charlebois: Minister responsible for the rehabilitation and protection of youth, and Minister of Public Health
• Luc Blanchette: Minister of Mines and Minister responsible forAbitibi-Tmiscamingueand Northern Quebec
• Jean-Denis Girard: Minister of Small and Medium-sized Businesses and Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Mauricie

Cabinet ministers were chosen from among the 69 Liberals who were elected alongside Couillard on April 7 and sworn-in as MNAs last week.

"You are now ministers, but you must remember that you are MNAsfirst, elected by Quebecers.We are the government of all Quebecers. We must never forget that," Couillard told the members of his newly-named cabinet.

Couillard also said a few words to his cabinet in English, speaking of the province's anglophone community.

"We have built Quebec together ... We are all proudQuebecers there are so many things that unite us. It is time to work together again, as we have been doing in the last 350 years."

At 26 members, Couillard'scabinet is largerthan the 23-member cabinet of the outgoing PartiQubcois. Former Liberal premier Jean Charest named 17 ministers after his election in 2007.

A cabinet ministerreceives a total remuneration of$157,413 a year.

Couillard promised to hit "parity zone"

During the election campaign, Couillard said his cabinet would reflect what he said was the standard parity zone of between 40 to 60 per cent women.

With only 18 women among the 70 Liberals elected on April 7, meeting this promise was not possible.