Stephen Harper promised to make government "more accountable and effective" after he was officially sworn in as Canada's 22nd prime minister on Monday.

Clutching his personal Bible, Harper was sworn in by Alex Himelfarb, clerk of the Privy Council, and was presided over by Gov. Gen. Michaelle Jean as he took the oath of office -- two weeks after he led his Conservative Party to a minority victory over Paul Martin's Liberals.

"We know that governing in a minority is not going to be easy," Harper said in a news conference following the ceremony at Rideau Hall. "But we have our legislative and governmental priorities and we will work with others to find shared goals and common ideas."

After his first cabinet meeting, Harper announced that Parliament would return on Monday, April 3, and that his government would be tabling a budget.

After keeping news of his cabinet a closely guarded secret, Harper named a 26-member cabinet (which includes six women) -- streamlined from Martin's 37.

The most surprising news was the appointment of David Emerson as minister of international trade. Emerson, former industry minister under Paul Martin's Liberal government, crossed the floor to join the Tory cabinet.

Emerson, an MP for the B.C. riding of Vancouver Kingsway, was considered a leadership candidate for the Liberals. He took a prominent role on the issue of softwood lumber in the last government. His acquisition gives the Tory party its only MP in one of the country's major cities.

Emerson received a loud ovation after he swore his oath on Monday morning.

As expected, Harper has dropped the post of deputy prime minister. His cabinet includes 10 members from Western Canada, nine from Ontario, one from Manitoba and three from the Atlantic provinces. There is no cabinet member from P.E.I. since no Conservative MPs were elected in that province.

A partial list of key portfolios (click on the Interactive link on the right for the full list):

• Peter MacKay - Foreign affairs
• Jim Flaherty - Finance
• Lawrence Cannon - Transport, Infrastructure and Communities
• Vic Toews - Justice
• Gordon O'Connor - Defence
• Tony Clement - Health
• Maxime Bernier - Industry
• Stockwell Day -- Public Safety
• Michael Fortier - Public Works
• Rona Ambrose - Environment
• Jim Prentice - Indian Affairs
• John Baird - Treasury Board
• Chuck Strahl - Agriculture
• Gary Lunn - Natural Resources
• Monte Solberg - Citizenship and Immigration
• Rob Nicholson - Democratic reform (a new post) and Speaker of the House.

Fortier's appointment

The appointment of Fortier -- who didn't run, and instead served as the Conservatives' campaign co-chair -- as public works minister came as another big surprise.

Fortier is not a member of Parliament, and is being temporarily appointed to the Senate until a seat opens up in the Commons -- a move which seems to contradict Harper's pledge to reform the Senate by appointing only elected Senators as one of his first steps in the new Parliament.

Harper has no MPs in any of the Canada's three biggest cities, and he told reporters he appointed Fortier -- a key business figure, party organizer in Quebec and a former president of the Progressive Conservative party -- because he needs a minister from Montreal in his cabinet.

But Harper said Fortier will run in the next federal election, and that he will step down from his Senate seat once he is elected to Parliament.

"Michael Fortier is leaving a lucrative, private sector job to take this (position) ... but it is only a temporary appointment. He has agreed that he will step down at the next federal election . . . and so this Senate seat will be available for elections, and we'll be proceeding with Senate elections in the not-too-distant future."

Bill Graham reacts

The Liberals wasted no time launching an attack on Harper's cabinet picks.

Opposition Leader Bill Graham expressed his concern that Fortier, an unelected cabinet minister, will be responsible for billions of dollars in public spending.

"Mr. Harper ran a campaign which emphasized accountability and ethical behaviour by Canadians and by parliamentarians," he said.

"I have to say, therefore, that I am concerned, given Mr. Harper's past statements, that he's decided to put into his cabinet a non-elected minister of public works," Graham said of Fortier.

Graham also blasted Harper's decision to appoint Emerson, particularly because of the criticism Martin faced when former Tory Belinda Stronach crossed the floor to join the Liberal government last spring.

"I was in the House of Commons when Mr. Harper vigorously criticized Mr. Martin for including Ms. Stronach in the cabinet, and now, before he has even been appointed prime minister of Canada, he has already negotiated to have someone come over to his cabinet from the other side," Graham said in French.

Graham said Stronach left the Tories over matters of policy, and that Emerson's defection is not comparable.

Quebec representation

Harper has named four out the 10 new Tory MPs from Quebec to cabinet posts in the hopes of gaining more seats in the province.

In addition to Cannon at transport and Bernier at industry, Jean-Pierre Blackburn has been appointed as labour minister, and Josee Verner as the minister of  international co-operation.

CTV's Ottawa bureau chief Robert Fife pointed out that each of these Quebec cabinet ministers were handed economic assignments for a reason.

"The Conservative Party has to be able to reach out to Quebecers and show the people in the ridings where they came second (40 ridings in Quebec) that they have clout, and that is why we're seeing Quebec ministers with economic portfolios and spending authority."

Elsewhere, Nicholson, an MP from Niagara Falls, Ont., is the only minister with previous federal cabinet experience, having served under the short tenure of prime minister Kim Campbell.

MacKay's assignment as foreign affairs minister, meanwhile, follows an unwritten tradition in Canadian politics, where party leaders give the post to former leadership rivals.

In 1984, prime minister John Turner handed the assignment to Jean Chretien. Joe Clark was made foreign affairs minister by prime minister Brian Mulroney.

The appointment of Marjory LeBreton -- who has served every Conservative leader since John Diefenbaker -- as leader of the government in the Senate is sure to be a popular move among Tories. LeBreton served as an important adviser to Harper during the election campaign.

Three high-profile MPs who were touted for cabinet spots were notably absent: Diane Ablonczy, Jason Kenney and James Moore.

Streamlined cabinet

The 26-member cabinet (27 including Harper) is one of the smallest in years, which Conservatives say should allow for more efficiency in Parliament.

"My smaller Cabinet and more streamlined Cabinet structure are designed for work, not for show," said Harper in a statement released Monday.

"The team is talented and balanced, reflecting our national diversity. The 26 Ministers are equal members of the team, ensuring equal voices from all regions of Canada. The structure is designed to promote accountable, efficient and effective government-more focus and purpose; less process and cost."

In choosing his cabinet, Harper seemed to have gone for experience, selecting those members who have senior government or industry experience under their belts.

Harper said his cabinet reflects his intention to focus on five key Tory priorities:

• Cleaning up government by enacting and enforcing the Federal Accountability Act;
• Lowering taxes, starting with a reduction to the GST;
• Strengthening the justice system;
• Supporting child care choices of parents; and
• Delivering wait time guarantees for health care.

Harper called it a "great honour and an enormous responsibility" to be prime minister and vowed to move swiftly on his campaign pledges.

"We will improve Canadians' faith in public institutions by making government more accountable and effective," he said.

Changing of the guard

Harper and his family arrived at Rideau Hall just before 10:45 a.m. ET. Climbing out of a minivan, Harper held the hand of his seven-year-old daughter Rachel, with his wife Laureen and son Ben close behind, as they walked into the Governor General's official residence.

An hour earlier, Martin officially handed in his resignation to the Governor General, marking an end to his troubled two-year term as prime minister that saw his scandal-plagued Liberals humbled by a resurgent Conservative party.

Martin arrived earlier than expected, avoiding journalists and slipping into a side door to Rideau Hall. After a brief meeting with Jean, Martin came out the front entrance, waved to reporters and climbed into his limousine.

Harper's new cabinet ministers began showing up shortly after, arriving in cars and taxis instead of limousines -- a move that's being interpreted as an effort to show that they're closer to the people.