Premier Danielle Smith has installed one of her most veteran lieutenants as Alberta’s new finance minister, in a cabinet shakeup announced in the shadow of a looming separatist referendum.

Jason Nixon, who’s been a senior minister for much of the United Conservative government’s seven-year reign, is now tasked with stewarding Alberta’s fiscal house through oil-price gyrations.

He replaces outgoing finance minister Nathan Horner, who delivered the last three Alberta budgets but requested to be excluded from this reshaped cabinet because he isn’t running in next year’s election.

This shuffle of about one-quarter of the province’s cabinet ministers comes shortly ahead of Smith’s televised address Thursday evening, which is expected to outline her approach to calling a separatist referendum that activists have pushed for.

Smith announced new ministers to oversee most of the various health-care departments to continue her system reforms.

Nathan Neudorf replaces Nixon as minister of assisted living and community supports.

Justin Wright gets promoted from UCP caucus whip to minister of primary health. Adriana LaGrange moves from that file to become minister of hospital and surgical services, replacing Matt Jones, who also decided not to seek re-election in 2027.

Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills MLA Tara Sawyer is the cabinet’s newest face, becoming agriculture minister. She was elected last summer in a by-election, and was previously chair of the Grain Growers of Canada.

She replaces RJ Sigurdson, who is moved to the affordability and utilities portfolio.

In brief remarks during the cabinet swearing-in ceremony in Calgary, Smith didn’t speak about Canadian unity but instead focused on her government’s busy policy agenda of expanding health-care capacity, keeping taxes low and attracting investment.

“Albertans are trusting us, each of us in this room, to do that critical work,” the premier said.

For Nixon, this marks a return to the finance portfolio. He served in the role for a few months at the end of Jason Kenney’s premiership, before Smith initially shuffled him to the backbenches when she became leader. 

In Finance, Nixon will be tasked with crafting and delivering next spring’s provincial budget, which could show a major turnaround in Alberta’s fiscal fortune. This year’s budget featured a $9.4 billion deficit, but that was based on oil-price forecasts before the U.S. and Israel war with Iran caused a spike in rates for Alberta’s key export commodity.

If high prices endure throughout the fiscal year that ends next March, Alberta’s projected deficit could be eased or erased entirely.

NDP Leader Naheed Nenshi suggested earlier this week that Smith demoted Jones and Horner because both have publicly come out against separatism. United Conservatives have routinely pushed against accusations Smith and her government are motivated by pro-separation sentiments.

• Cross Country Checkup is asking: How should Ottawa respond to Alberta separatism? What’s at stake for you? Leave your comment here and we may read it or call you back for Sunday’s show.

It’s become common for political leaders to remove ministers from cabinet when they announce they’re not running for re-election. In 2024, Housing Minister Sean Fraser left the federal cabinet in a shuffle when he announced he didn’t intend to reoffer as an MP (although he changed his mind and ran again, after Mark Carney became prime minister).

In mid-2018, then-Alberta premier Rachel Notley demoted two ministers after they decided they wouldn’t run again the following spring.

Smith’s cabinet shuffle on Thursday has a longer lead time before the next election. It’s scheduled to take place in October 2027, 17 months from now.