Prime Minister Harper and his ministers were sworn in this morning

So, they did it this morning. Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his ministers swore oaths to serve the Queen and Canada. Here are some interesting observations. With the addition of David Emerson, former Liberal M.P., into the Conservative caucus and cabinet, the Conservative Party has 125 MPs in the House of Commons (versus 102 Liberals). Mr. Emerson (MP, Vancouver-Kingsway, B.C.), who is married to a Chinese-Canadian, is the new minister of trade, minister for the Vancouver Olympics and minister for the Pacific Gateway. His appointment highlights Prime Minister Harper's emphasis of "the West is in." Vancouver gets a cabinet minister and Canada gets a trade minister with additional duties in foreign relations with Pacific Rim countries. Michael Chong (MP, Wellington-Halton Hills, Ontario) is the new minister of intergovernmental affairs and minister for sport. Son of a Canadian doctor of Chinese origin and a Dutch-Canadian, Mr. Chong represents the suburban county surrounding Guelph, and used to work the National Hockey League Players' Association. Bev Oda (MP, Clarington-Scugog-Uxbridge, Ontario) is Canada's first Japanese-Canadian to serve as a federal cabinet minister. Having worked in TVOntario, Rogers Communications, CITY-TV, Global Television Network, Harold Greenberg Fund and CTV and served as a commissioner in the Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommuication Commission, Ms. Oda is the new minister of Canadian Heritage and Status of Women.