Langley MLA Mary Polak is now in charge or roads around the province, while Fort Langley-Aldergrove's Rich Coleman is deputy premier.

Both Liberal MLAs were moved in Premier Christy Clark's cabinet shuffle, which was caused by the departure of Cloverdale's Kevin Falcon as finance minister and deputy pre-mier last week.

A number of other senior MLAs and cabinet ministers also announced this week they will not run in the next election.

Polak has spent the last year and a half heading up the Ministry for Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation.

The shuffle vaults her into the front rank of cabinet ministers alongside the ministers holding jobs such as forests, education, health, and finance.

"It certainly is key in terms of the premier's job agenda," said Polak of her new ministry.

After being sworn in on Wednesday, Polak was about to get to grips with the key issues of her new job. They include overseeing the last stages of the Port Mann Bridge expansion, and the accompanying Trans Canada Highway widening from Vancouver to Langley.

Then there are BC Ferries routes, which the Crown corporation has said will likely see some cuts in the future.

Polak will likely hold the portfolio until the next election in May 2013.

She plans to stay on to contest the next race, with both the NDP and a newly resurgent B.C. Conservative Party.

"I am in," Polak con-firmed.

Coleman retains most of his previous responsibilities, with his Ministry of Energy and Mines re-dubbed the Ministry of Energy, Mines, and Natural Gas.

The move is to reinforce the importance of natural gas development as an economic driver for B.C., according to a statement for the premier's office.

"We are also taking advantage of B.C.'s trillion-dollar natural gas opportunity and expanding trade with Asia," Clark said in a statement.

Coleman has recently been promoting a massive liquid natural gas infrastructure project. It would see shale gas pumped from the Peace River country, piped through the mountains to Kitimat, and shipped overseas in liquid form, primarily to feed China's hunger for energy.

mclaxton@langleyadvance.com