Canada gets new Cabinet, 3 new senators

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OTTAWA, May 18 (UPI) -- Newly re-elected Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper introduced his new Cabinet in Ottawa Wednesday and announced three Senate appointments.

In the Cabinet of 38 ministers, there were nine new people appointed as Harper said he wanted to maintain "stability and continuity" after his Conservative party's five years of minority rule. He also fell back on the country's most popular sport in his comments.

"Any hockey coach can tell you that for a team to continue to win it must have a nucleus of veterans and then gradually add in new talent," Harper said.

The prime minister said every region of the country had representation in the Cabinet, Postmedia News reported.

The appointees were sworn in to their posts by Governor General David Johnston and have two weeks to prepare for the opening of Parliament next month.

The House will open June 2 for two days of formalities and housekeeping before business begins June 6.

Meanwhile, Harper also announced the appointments of three senators. Two of them had been senators who resigned to run for Parliament in the May 2 federal election, but lost. The third is a former Cabinet minister who also lost in the election.

Harper has long been an advocate for an elected Senate and it remains to be seen if he will use his majority to seek constitutional reform to abolish its current appointment system, loosely based on Britain's House of Lords, or upper house.