The recent cabinet shuffle is the fifth since the NDP took office in 1999. Leaving the upper echelons of the high paid club is former Health Minister Tim Sale, who will not be seeking re-election. Theresa Oswald, who had been serving as Healthy Living Minister, will take over the helm of the largest cabinet portfolio. For the sake of Manitoba taxpayers and patients, one can only hope that Ms. Oswald can bring some fresh thinking to the state of health care.

The Canadian Taxpayers Federation suggests the newly minted Health Minister start with a review of the Supreme Court's Chaoulli decision. That case ended Quebec's prohibition on the provision and purchase of private medical insurance. The justices concluded the prohibition violated the Quebec Charter of Rights and was split on whether it violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Essentially, the court found that government cannot sentence patients to endless government wait lists while prohibiting them from seeking private alternatives. The Quebec government responded with legislation that will allow a limited role for private provision of services.

The new Minister may then want to have her new army of bureaucrats investigate a recently launched lawsuit in Alberta by the Canadian Constitutional Foundation, on behalf of Calgary resident Bill Murray. He was denied an important hip replacement procedure while being prevented from seeking alternatives. Manitoba law prohibits citizens from purchasing private health insurance, but allows you to do so for your pet. Before a costly lawsuit is launched in our province, the Minister should act. Citizens should have the right to spend their after tax dollars on health in the same way they can spend their money on alcohol, tobacco and gambling.

Another change in the cabinet shuffle was the creation of the department of competitiveness, training and trade. According to the government news release, Scott Smith, the Minister responsible and his new department will "bring together industry and training to both grow Manitoba business and invest in skill development, and attract and retain skilled workers in Manitoba." Sounds nice but how about making the province competitive the old fashioned way by cutting personal, business and payroll taxes and reducing spending.

One change in particular, which the Doer government did not want to shine a light on, was shuffling Christine Melnick out of the Child and Family Services portfolio. After her disastrous handling of the news of innocent children dying while in the care of Child and Family Services agencies, Ms. Melnick has been moved to somewhat of a less volatile department, Water Stewardship.

In the portfolios where a change of direction and bold new thinking was needed -Finance and Agriculture- we see no movement whatsoever. But fear not motorists and taxpayers, Ron Lemieux is now the Minister of Infrastructure, a new department that is supposed to get our roads fixed.

If the provincial Cabinet were a hockey team it is very clear that the lines have been shuffled and new home team uniforms have been purchased, but for taxpayers, they're still playing well below .500 and they haven't discarded their tired old high-tax, big government playbook.