Minister of Canadian Heritage
On October 30, 2008, Moore was appointed Minister of Canadian Heritage and Official Languages. Moore's appointment came after Harper had sparked controversy during the recent election campaign when he made comments that "ordinary people" didn't care about arts funding. The comments were negatively received, particularly in Quebec, and it is thought to have contributed to the Conservatives not winning a majority government.
In the 2011 federal election Moore was once again re-elected in his riding and the Conservative Party won their first majority government. It was speculated that Moore could be promoted to a higher profile ministry when Harper shuffled his cabinet, however he remained Minister of Heritage when the new cabinet was sworn in. The resignation and defeat of several ministers did lead to his appointment as the senior regional Minister from British Columbia, he became the youngest person to ever hold the post. Moore was seen as one of the most influential members within his caucus, and with Prime Minister Harper. Though Harper did not appoint a Deputy Prime Minister, Jason Kenney was seen by many as the de facto Deputy Prime Minister. Maclean's columnist Paul Wells wrote in 2011 that Moore, whose views contrast with the more socially conservative Kenney, was a near-equal to Kenney within cabinet. Moore's portfolio was an important one to Quebeckers and, with only four Conservative members of Parliament in the province, Moore became a central figure in the province for the party, despite hailing from British Columbia.
As Minister of Canadian Heritage Moore was nominally responsible for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC), a Crown corporation. On November 19, 2008, Moore warned CBC executives to rein in their spending practises after it was revealed that CBC's executive vice-president for French services, racked up more than $80,000 in 2006 on expenses such as theatre tickets, hotels, and catering. The information was revealed the same week that other Canadian broadcasters were announcing hiring freezes and layoffs. The President of CBC announced on November 21, 2008 that the corporation would be cutting spending and reviewing its major projects.
Moore has been a defender of the CBC and has spoken about its importance as a key cultural institution. This despite calls from some within the Conservative Party to stop funding or sell the CBC. Downsizing and decentralizing of the broadcaster is a goal for Moore and the Conservative government. In December 2011, he stated that under his leadership staffing at the CBC had decreased by about 25%.
On February 15, 2013, Prime Minister Stephen Harper appointed Moore as acting Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development after the sudden resignation of John Duncan. Duncan resigned after improperly advocating to a tax court on behalf of a constituent in June 2011. Moore remained interim minister until Bernard Valcourt was appointed on February 22, 2013.
