Senator LeBreton was appointed Leader of the Government in the Senate by Prime Minister Stephen Harper In February 2006 and also acquired the role of Secretary of State for Seniors during a cabinet shuffle on January 4, 2007. On July 4, 2013, she announced her resignation from the cabinet after a stormy period of expenses scandals that tarnished the reputation of the Conservatives, but remained a Conservative Senator for Ontario. As the scandals intensified, LeBreton gave a defiant speech to the Senate in which she said Ottawa was "populated by Liberal elites and their media lickspittles". LeBreton was well known for her campaign work where her job was to "assist the media."