OTTAWA - Prime Minister Stephen Harper did what he could to bolster Quebec's power in his new cabinet and promised the province's contingent will punch above its weight.
But with just four of 39 ministers from the second largest province, the Quebec voice in cabinet is decidedly muted.
That's in spite of an election slogan that promised Quebecers that a vote for the Conservatives was a vote for "our region in power."
"Indeed we have a small Quebec caucus, but nonetheless, they are very strong MPs. It's always strong MPs who win against a tide," Harper said, referring to the NDP wave that swept more than three quarters of Quebec's seats.
Christian Paradis will run the powerful Industry Department and Denis Lebel will be in charge of handing out money, both as minister of Transport and Infrastructure and as Quebec's regional development minister.
But the other two Quebecers are in minor roles.
Maxime Bernier, who was turfed from a previous Harper cabinet for leaving secret documents at his girlfriend's place, was given one of the lowest-profile cabinet posts: minister of state for small business and tourism.
Quebec City MP Stephen Blaney takes over Veterans Affairs.
In all, four of the five Quebec Conservative MPs elected on May 2 were named to cabinet, with only Jacques Gourde left on the sidelines.
"I'm fully confident that our ministers from Quebec will serve Canadians and Quebecers....in a very efficient manner," Harper said.
The prime minister also put two failed Conservative candidates from Quebec -- Larry Smith and Josee Verner -- back in the Senate.
Harper made the most out of the hand he was dealt, analysts said, but the new cabinet leaves Quebec with a quieter voice in Ottawa.
"He's got 80 per cent of his Quebec MPs into cabinet, but it's only four," commented political scientist Jim Farney of Queen's University.
"It's a sign the Conservatives are weak on the ground in Quebec, but they're doing everything they can."
It's one of the smallest Quebec caucuses to be seen in Ottawa in recent years. Harper had five Quebecers in his last cabinet, after dropping Bernier. Jean Chretien had seven Quebec ministers, besides himself. Paul Martin had eight, besides himself.
By contrast, the official Opposition is dominated by Quebec MPs. The 103-member NDP includes 59 Quebecers, most of them political neophytes. The NDP holds more than three quarters of Quebec's 75 federal seats.
NDP Leader Jack Layton wasted no time in pointing out the cabinet's weakness, saying that if Harper is sincere about working with every region of the country, he will have to co-operate with the New Democrats.
"It means Mr. Harper didn't do what he had to do, to get enough Quebec MPs," Layton told reporters. "He has to be working with us to see that Quebec issues are a priority."
The makeup of the new cabinet shows that power has shifted to Ontario, said political scientist Antonia Maioni from McGill University.
By giving Bernier such a junior appointment, it's clear Harper was grasping at ways to represent Quebec and would rather not have had to rely on the former industry minister, Maioni said.
"His hand was forced."
While the NDP promises to speak loudly for Quebec's interest, Maioni is skeptical about how effective the new Opposition will be.
"I can't see any heavy hitters from Quebec, apart from (Thomas) Mulcair," she said.
