TABJ – May 19 – With Parliament set to resume June 2, re-elected Prime Minister Stephen Harper yesterday announced his Cabinet selections entering his third term in office.

Naturally, major names like Rob Nicholson, Minister of Justice, Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence, and Jim Flaherty, Minister of Finance, will return to their respective roles, while yesterday’s announcement also provided other noteworthy selections.

John Baird, former Minister of the Environment, was named Minister of Foreign Affairs, while Tony Clement, former Minister of Industry, was named President of the Treasury Board, and Peter Van Loan was named Leader of the House, a role formerly held by Baird.

According to the Prime Minister, a sense of continuity and stability was critical in naming his first majority Cabinet.

“It is a deeper roster than ever before, with many deserving MPs and many veterans deserving a promotion,” Harper said from the podium.

It’s the largest ever Cabinet for Harper—now up to 39 representatives—and one that vows to make the economy its primary focus.

“The question is making sure that we have a ministry that is broad, representative of the country and tries to use people’s talents to the maximum,” Harper said. “The mandate given to us by the voters of Canada on May 2 allowed us to focus on the economy and more generally on stability. If the economy is our top priority, we will be working very hard on all the priorities we campaigned on.”

Following the Cabinet announcement, Harper appointed three others to the Canadian Senate, namely Josee Verner, Larry Smith, and Fabian Manning, all of whom failed in May 2 election bids.

“Our government will continue to push for a more democratic, accountable and effective Senate,” Harper said in a statement.