27 août 2016 – Telegraph Journal LeBlanc’s new job will navigate legal troubles as questions loom over top judges and assisted dying adam huras LegisLature Bureau

Dominic LeBlanc’s new job within cabinet may see him decide what the federal government will do if doctor assisted death legislation or changes to how Supreme Court judges are appointed end up being challenged in court.

New Brunswick’s only cabinet minister now heads a new cabinet committee on litigation management.

LeBlanc takes on the job amid a series of changes to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision-making inner circle that saw the Beauséjour MP shuffled out as federal government House leader – a job originally heralded as giving New Brunswick a powerful spot in Ottawa.

But political watchers believe the province’s voice remains just as strong.

And with LeBlanc now being tasked with advising the justice minister on the implications of lawsuits facing the government, he will likely be faced with a few immediate challenges.

LeBlanc relinquished the House leader role last week, while retaining his role as federal fisheries minister.

Earlier this week, he was named the chair of the new federal cabinet committee on litigation management and was added to the cabinet committee on environment, climate change and energy. He was dropped from other committees, including as an alternate member of the Treasury Board.

“In losing the House leader position, we have to make an important distinction between when we have a majority or minority government,”said Roger Ouellette, a political science professor at l’Université de Moncton.“It’s a crucial test for a minority government and a difficult task to put the agenda of the government into place.”

Ouellette pointed to Stephen Harper minority governments that had political veterans Rob Nicholson,Peter Van Loan and John Baird in the job.

But the Trudeau Liberals have a majority, meaning the job is of less importance since proposed legislation passes as long as the government flexes its power in numbers.

“When I saw Dominic’s replacement, well it’s a rookie,”Ouellette said of first-time MP Bardish Chagger. “That says everything right there.

“It’s not demotion for LeBlanc to be dropped as House leader.”

University of New Brunswick Saint John political science professor J.P. Lewis pointed out that LeBlanc remains on arguably the most powerful cabinet committee.

That could be all that matters.

“The fact that he is still on agenda and results, I think that’s the key thing that we can’t overlook if we’re trying to decide if it’s a demotion or not,”Lewis said of the committee better known as priorities and planning,charged with,among other things,ratifying the work of other committees.

“Traditionally, that’s where a lot of the major decisions are made or finalized,”he said.“If you’re not on that,then I would say you’re out of the loop.”

Lewis also points to a history between LeBlanc and Trudeau.

The connections between the Le-Blanc and Trudeau families go back 60 years.

LeBlanc’s father, former governor general and Trudeau-era cabinet minister Roméo LeBlanc, was a close friend of Justin’s father, Pierre, dating back to the 1950s.

At 14 years old, LeBlanc babysat 11-year-old Justin and his two younger brothers.

“Their personal connections, he’s not your average minister,” Lewis said.“On the personal, social side there hasn’t been historically many ministers with such a long connection.

“They are already so close. LeBlanc could have been part of the decision in figuring out how to refresh cabinet in having to replace [former fisheries minister Hunter] Tootoo.”

Lewis also said that LeBlanc could see some interesting action as head of a new cabinet committee on litigation management.

The Law Society of New Brunswick, among others,is questioning the constitutionality of a move by the federal government that could leave Atlantic Canada without a voice on the country’s top court. In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, the law society suggests there is a legal argument against departing from what it states is a “constitutional convention”to fill vacancies on the Supreme Court of Canada with a judge from the same region.

Meanwhile, the government’s controversial legislation on doctor-assisted dying could face a challenge for not going far enough, potentially failing the test set by the top court.

“Maybe it’s a signal that they are going to take on this Pandora’s box of semi-quasi constitutional items that previous government’s wouldn’t touch,” Lewis said.