Prime Minister Stephen Harper made the announcement last week, unveiling a new cabinet focused on achieving economic stability.

"The economy ... will be job number one in every aspect of our government," Harper said during a news conference late last week.

Although Harper did shuffle some ministers, Nicholson kept the justice portfolio he occupied in the previous parliament.

Despite being on different ends of the political spectrum, Niagara Falls Liberal MPP Kim Craitor publicly praised Nicholson's reassignment during an event Saturday in the city.

"It's good for our country and, more importantly, it's good for our riding," said Craitor.

Due to his seniority, Nicholson's name appears second on the cabinet list, coming directly after Prime Minister Harper.

Nicholson has been Minister of Justice since January 2007. In February, he helped introduce the Tackling Violent Crime Act, which strengthened the criminal code in a variety of areas, including imposing tougher mandatory jail time for serious gun crimes and new ways to detect and investigate drug-impaired drivers.

He was first elected to parliament in 1984 with the Progressive Conservative party and served under Prime Minister Brian Mulroney until 1988. He served on Niagara Regional Council in 1997, 2000 and 2003, before moving to the federal level.

He previously served as the Minister of Democratic Reform in the cabinet.