The MLA for Portage la Prairie says he's honoured to be taking on a position with the new Progressive Conservative government's cabinet. Ian Wishart was named Minister of Education and Training yesterday, and looks forward to serving those in Portage and across the province. It marks a change in focus for Wishart, after serving as the opposition critic of Child and Family Services. He says with that shift in mind, the cabinet ministers will be working with those who formerly served in critic roles.

"It's a challenge. We also have to make sure our colleague that gets the ministry I was critic for, which is now called families, gets the information we put together as critics. You have a bit of a transfer information and a gain of information on the other side. There are two big responsibilities."

He says he's excited to take on the education and training portfolio, as it's a vital piece of the province's responsibilities, and the new government wants to address some of the concerns under the former administration.

"It's certainly a portfolio that's been up and functioning, but we've been concerned about the results, in terms of how our students are learning. I think it's important to everyone, for every student in the system it's certainly important. We'll be focused on that, but I know there are many school divisions right now that are waiting for information on how many dollars for their budget, and we'll be moving forward with that as soon as possible."

All 12 of the cabinet ministers have never served in a minister's role before, and Wishart admits that will result in a learning curve for all MLAs. While the new cabinet will be hard at work to familiarize themselves with the roles, Wishart quotes an old adage in saying "The worst day in government is better than the best day in opposition."