Nova Scotia’s premier has quietly shuffled his cabinet, and the shakeup gives him more power over the energy sector amid his push to grow the industry.

As part of the shuffle, Premier Tim Houston named himself minister of energy, while cabinet veterans Becky Druhan and Tory Rushton were dropped entirely.

“It is a big portfolio and it’s not something you would typically see a premier take on on their own,” said political analyst Lori Turnbull.

Houston also continues to serve as the minister of trade and intergovernmental affairs.

Turnbull says it appears becoming energy minister was “completely strategic,” and it now places Houston “in the room” with the federal energy and natural resources minister “in a more direct way” when discussing energy projects.

She says the move could also

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