|
Solberg is new immigration minister |
|
|
 By Ethan Caleb » Monte Solberg, a former broadcaster and businessman, has been named
Canada's Citizenship and Immigration minister in Prime Minister Stephen
Harper's newly installed Cabinet.
First elected in 1993, Solberg, 47, has been the Conservative Party's
finance critic for the last three years. The Albertan has previously
served as opposition critic for Foreign Affairs, National Revenue, and
Human Resources Development.
Solberg, 47, an avid blogger, is believed to have made history in 2005
when he blogged from the floor of the House of Commons immediately upon
the passage of Bill C-38, which provided legal recognition of same-sex
marriage. Solberg was opposed to the bill.
Solberg's views on immigration are not widely known. It is also unclear what impact his opposition to gay marriages will have on same-sex immigration, if any. Currently, Canada accepts applications for immigration from same-sex couples.
The new minister's high-profile blog includes entries far removed from politics, such as the benefits of 90-second power naps, his take on the Boston Bruins ice hockey team, and even a poem written by him in the style of William Blake.
Solberg, who spent spent 17 years in the broadcasting industry before entering politics, was first elected as a Reform Party Member of Parliament (MP) in 1993 and 1997, and as a Canadian Alliance MP in 2000. He is thought to be the architect behind Harper's plan to massively overhaul Canada's fiscal regime, which under the stewardship of former Prime Minister Paul Martin, has enjoyed an unprecedented eight year run of budget surpluses.
The Calgary-born minister is married to Debra LeClaire. They have two sons, Matthew, born 1984, and Michael, born 1988.
|
Newsfile 