QUEBEC - Quebec Premier Jean Charest broke with decades of political tradition on Wednesday, appointing the province's smallest cabinet since the 1960s while also giving more women a share of power.
One-half of the 18 full-fledged ministers are women -- many with key portfolios.
Monique Jerome-Forget takes over finance from Michel Audet and will remain head of the Treasury Board.
Nathalie Normandeau was appointed deputy premier and kept the municipal affairs portfolio.
Newcomers to the cabinet include former Radio-Canada reporter Christine Saint-Pierre, who was named culture minister, and Marguerite Blais, minister responsible for seniors.
Yolande James, who is only 30, was appointed minister of immigration, becoming the first black member of Quebec's legislature to be given a cabinet position.
"We will form a different type of government, since that was the wish of Quebecers,'' Charest said. "This government will not be able to decide alone, and the Opposition will no longer be able to do nothing but criticize."
Charest's Liberal party won only 48 of the province's 125 seats in last month's election, becoming the province's first minority government since 1878.
With another provincial election likely within the next two years, Charest avoided shuffling some of his high-profile ministers.
The widely respected Philippe Couillard, who is often touted as a potential heir to Charest, remains in charge of health.
Raymond Bachand keeps his job as economic development minister and Benoit Pelletier stays on as minister of intergovernmental affairs.
John Parisella, a longtime political analyst and a one-time chief of staff to late Quebec premier Robert Bourassa, said Charest's new team is tailored to the next election call.
"It looks very much like an electoral cabinet,'' Parisella said in an interview. "It's a cabinet that won't need much time to learn the job. It's a cabinet that's going to basically hit the ground running and be ready for an election anywhere from this spring to when it happens.''
Quebecers will see new faces in education and environment.
Michelle Courchesne takes over from Jean-Marc Fournier in education, while Line Beauchamp replaces Claude Bechard at environment.
Fournier ends up as revenue minister, while Bechard was moved to natural resources.
Former whip Jacques Dupuis takes over as justice minister from the demoted Yvon Marcoux.
In announcing his cabinet, Charest outlined what Quebecers can expect from the new government.
"Over the next few months, we will put forward a limited number of priorities,'' Charest said, promising tax cuts, an end to the tuition freeze and new environmental measures.
"The change that Quebecers voted for starts now."
