Trudeau overhauls his cabinet, drops 7 ministers and shuffles most portfolios
Cabinet shakeup introduces new faces to Trudeau's front bench
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today dropped seven ministers and changed nearly three-quarters of his cabinet, overhauling his team at a time of heightened tensions overseas and scandals at home.
Trudeau unveiled a new cabinet team meant to have a renewed focus on economic priorities, such as housing, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall Wednesday morning. The shuffle promotes seven new faces and tasks more than a dozen ministers with new roles, including a new minister of defence and public safety.
Reporters asked the prime minister repeatedly whether the shakeup amounts to an admission that his nearly eight-year-old government is slumping.
"On the contrary," he responded.
Recent polling indicates the Liberals are trailing the Conservatives. Opposition parties have criticized how the government has addressed the cost of living crisis.
WATCH | Trudeau says his new cabinet will 'step up' on critical issues
"This is a difficult time right now for millions of people in Canada and around the world, and making sure that we have the best possible team aligned to respond to Canadians' challenges with the supports necessary, but also show that optimism, that ambition for getting us through these consequential times and building a brighter future for everyone —that's what we're focused on," Trudeau said.
Amid those global challenges, Toronto-area MP Bill Blair takes over the defence portfolio from Anita Anand, who becomes president of the Treasury Board.
Bill Blair arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Blair, a former police chief who was most recently the minister of emergency preparedness, becomes the country's point person at NATO and will be responsible for Canada's response to the war in Ukraine.
The Canadian Armed Forces is also reeling from a sexual misconduct scandal; Blair is now responsible for overseeing the military's attempt to change its culture.
New Brunswick's Dominic LeBlanc will now lead public safety, an often-challenging portfolio that includes the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP. He also takes on the democratic institutions file and will continue to serve as intergovernmental affairs minister.
Anita Anand arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
LeBlanc, who represents Beauséjour, will play a key role in determining how the government responds to allegations that China interfered in the past two federal elections, and to the damning report on the Mounties' handling of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. He'll also have to stickhandle negotiations with the provinces about the future of RCMP contract policing.
His predecessor, Marco Mendicino, was dropped from cabinet. His demotion ends a tenure at the cabinet table plagued by multiple controversies, including the government's poorly received gun control legislation and lingering questions on the foreign interference file.
Dominic LeBlanc arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
More recently, Mendicino was under intense pressure due to the controversy over the transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
Along with the new names heading up security and intelligence-related portfolios, the Prime Minister's Office announced Wednesday it will follow the example of its Five Eye allies and set up a cabinet committee on national security and intelligence. The lack of one has been cited by the national security community as an oversight in light of recent controversies.
A PMO spokesperson called the new National Security Council a "forum for ministers to deliberate on and address issues of pressing concern to Canada's domestic and international security."
7 fresh faces called up
Arif Virani and his family arrive for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at
Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez arrives for a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. (Justin
Tang/Canadian Press)
Seven new MPs received a promotion to cabinet:
- Toronto MP Arif Virani, who represents Parkdale—High Park, becomes minister of justice and attorney general of Canada
- Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, becomes the minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions.
- Gary Anandasangaree, who represents Scarborough—Rouge Park, becomes minister of Crown-Indigenous relations
- B.C. MP Terry Beech of Burnaby North—Seymour becomes minister of citizens' services
- Toronto-area MP Ya'ara Saks, who represents York Centre, becomes minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health
- Ottawa-area MP Jenna Sudds, who represents, Kanata—Carleton, becomes minister of families, children and social development
- Mississauga—Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez becomes minister of small business
Multiple ministers changing responsibilities
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Leader of the Government in the
House of Commons Karina Gould takes the oath during a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26,
2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)Wednesday's shuffle also saw several current ministers change positions or add to their portfolios:
- Pablo Rodriguez becomes transport minister
- Pascale St-Onge becomes minister of Canadian heritage
- Mark Holland becomes minister of health
- Sean Fraser becomes minister of housing, infrastructure and communities
- Lawrence MacAulay becomes minister of agriculture
- Jean-Yves Duclos becomes minister of public services and procurement
- Marie-Claude Bibeau becomes minister of national revenue
- Gudie Hutchings remains minister of rural economic development but now takes on responsibility for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Diane Lebouthillier becomes minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
- Harjit Sajjan becomes president of the King's Privy Council and minister of emergency preparedness, and keeps his role as minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
- Carla Qualtrough becomes minister of sport and physical activity
- Karina Gould becomes government House leader
- Ahmed Hussen becomes minister of international development
- Seamus O'Regan stays on as minister of labour and adds the seniors portfolio
- Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes minister of veterans affairs
- Mary Ng remains minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development but drops small business from her files
- Jonathan Wilkinson stays put but his portfolio is being renamed "energy and natural resources"
- Marc Miller becomes minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship
- Randy Boissonnault becomes minister of employment workforce development and official languages
- Kamal Khera becomes minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Freeland, Joly staying put
Francois-Philippe
Champagne (left), Chrystia Freeland (centre) and Mary Ng arrive for a
cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July
26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Just eight ministers kept their portfolios:
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault
Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, also minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Filomena Tassi
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, also minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien
Gould recently announced she is expecting her second child in the new year. Trudeau announced Wednesday that Government Whip Steve MacKinnon will serve as House leader in her absence and Ruby Sahota will fill in as whip.
The cabinet is now made up of 19 women and 20 men, including the prime minister himself.
Liberal
MPs Helena Jaczek left, Omar Alghabra, centre left, Carolyn Bennett,
centre right, and Joyce Murray are not running in the next election. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters, Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, Blair Gable/Reuters)
Four of the seven ministers who were dropped announced earlier this week that they would not be running again:
- Former public services and procurement minister Helena Jaczek
- Former transport minister Omar Alghabra
- Former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett
- Former fisheries minister Joyce Murray
Trudeau did not answer when reporters asked why Mendicino, former justice minister David Lametti and former president of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier were axed.
The prime minister said he was putting forward "the strongest possible team with fresh energy and a range of skills."
"I want to thank everyone who has served this country and this cabinet so well over the past number of years," he said.
Lametti released a statement Wednesday congratulating his former parliamentary secretary Virani and saying he was proud of what he accomplished in the role.
"Confidence in our justice system is central to the rule of law. One way of building that confidence is by reaching out to communities who feel alienated from our justice system: Indigenous people, black and racialized communities," he wrote.
"This was an important priority for me."
Mona Fortier, left, David Lametti, centre, and Marco Mendicino were dropped from cabinet. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
In his own media statement, Mendicino said it was an honour to serve as public safety minister and thanked members of the national security and law enforcement communities.
"Thank you for putting yourselves in harm's way to protect Canadians every single day. We do not say this nearly enough," he wrote.
"To my cabinet and caucus colleagues, it remains a privilege to work with you. The seating arrangements may move around in the House or Commons from time to time, but we are family and committed to the same cause."
Fortier tweeted that it was a privilege to serve in cabinet.
WATCH | Poilievre says cabinet shuffle amounts to PM admitting 'he broke the economy'
The cabinet reset did little to impress Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre.
"After eight years of Trudeau, everything costs more," he told a news conference in Timmins, Ont.
"His government is a failure. It's funny, though — the one minister responsible for those failures didn't get moved. And that minister is Justin Trudeau."
Singh still plans on backing Liberals
This new cabinet is believed to be the team Trudeau will take into the next election.
The Liberal minority government is being propped up by the NDP through a confidence-and-supply agreement that's set to last until 2025, but either party could trigger an election earlier.
As part of that deal, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has agreed to support the government on key House of Commons votes in exchange for the government championing some of his priorities, like dental care.
Following Wednesday's shuffle, Singh called the government a failure on key files like housing affordability but didn't suggest he was willing to pull his support.
"Our priority isn't triggering an election. It's forcing the government to work for people," said Singh.
"We are focused on getting results for people, not focused on forcing an election."
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LIVE: Trudeau fires his cabinet. He should have fired himself
Meet the new faces in Prime Minister Trudeau's cabinet
Trudeau has named 7 new ministers to cabinet, including new Attorney General Arif Virani
One of the new faces is from Quebec and one is from B.C. The other five are from Ontario; four are from GTA ridings. Their appointments match the regional representation of the seven MPs no longer in cabinet.
Trudeau gave some big responsibilities and key portfolios to cabinet novices. MP Arif Virani, for example, is the new justice minister and attorney general; he takes over the file from outgoing minister David Lametti.
Virani, who represents Parkdale-High Park in Ontario, has been an MP since the Trudeau Liberals first came to power in 2015. He has been a parliamentary secretary to a number of ministers since then, including his predecessor at justice.
Virani has served on a number of key committees, including special joint committees examining medical assistance in dying (MAID) and the government's use of the Emergencies Act during the 2022 convoy protests.
As a parliamentary secretary, Virani voted with most MPs in favour of a motion to declare China's treatment of its Uyghur population a genocide. All cabinet ministers abstained from that vote.
Asked if his promotion to cabinet had changed his position on the plight of Uyghurs, Virani told reporters he thinks the situation is "serious" but stopped short of calling it a genocide.
"The legal threshold is quite high for proving genocide. That doesn't mean that investigations shouldn't take place," he said, adding that he wants international bodies like the UN to investigate the situation.
Virani came to Canada as a refugee from Uganda in 1972, when the country's then-president Idi Amin expelled Uganda's Indian minority.
Prior to running for office, Virani worked as a human rights lawyer and served as an assistant trial attorney prosecuting genocide at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda.
Prime
Minister Justin Trudeau poses with Minister of Mental Health and
Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Ya’ara Saks during a cabinet
swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26,
2023. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Ontario MP Ya'ara Saks is another cabinet newcomer from the GTA. The MP for York Centre replaces Carolyn Bennett as minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health. Bennett announced this week she won't be seeking re–election after serving an MP for 26 years.
Saks is a relatively new MP. She was first elected in an October 2020 by-election.
Following the 2021 general election, Saks was named parliamentary secretary to the minister of families, children and social development.
Prior to her election, Saks was a co-owner of a yoga studio and director of a mental health charity.
In her new ministerial role — itself a new portfolio created after the 2021 election — Saks will be tasked with addressing Canada's opioid crisis and overseeing the establishment of the 988 suicide prevention hotline, which is expected to come this fall.
Gary Anandasangaree arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Gary Anandasangaree, MP for Scarborough Rouge Park, will be the new minister for Crown-Indigenous relations. He takes over the file from Marc Miller, who has been moved to the immigration, refugees and citizenship portfolio.
Like Virani, Anandasangaree was first elected in 2015 and has served as a parliamentary secretary to the justice minister. He also sat on the Indigenous and northern affairs House committee.
Anandasangaree led the government's charge to develop a national anti-racism strategy when he was parliamentary secretary to the minister of heritage and multiculturalism.
The Ontario MP arrived in Canada as a refugee from Sri Lanka in 1983. Prior to his election, he worked as a human rights lawyer and with a number of community organizations, including as a member of the Toronto Police Chief's Advisory Council.
Speaking with reporters following the swearing-in ceremony, Anandasangaree said his experience as a refugee offers him a unique perspective on the government's relationship with Indigenous peoples.
"What I bring here is that lived experience of what survival means, what going through oppression and colonialism means," he said.
Liberal MP Jenna Sudds rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Former Ottawa city councillor Jenna Sudds will be the new minister of families, children and social development. She replaces Karina Gould, who was shuffled into the role of government House leader.
Sudds won her Kanata-Carleton seat in the last general election. Before joining cabinet, Sudds was parliamentary secretary to Minister of Women and Gender Equality Marci Ien.
Sudds was elected as a city councillor in 2018 and made a name for herself fighting the redevelopment of the old Kanata Lakes Golf and Country Club— an open space community members have used for recreational purposes for decades.
Prior to entering elected politics, Sudds worked as an economist for the federal government and in the private sector. She is also a founding member of the Kanata North Business Association.
Liberal
MP Terry Beech rises during question period in the House of Commons on
Parliament Hill. The Burnaby North-Seymour MP was named minister of
citizens' services on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Terry Beech is the lone new minister from B.C. He takes on the newly created role of minister of citizens' services.
The MP for Burnaby North-Seymour was first elected when the Liberals took power in 2015. Since then he has held a number of parliamentary secretary roles, most recently to Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Beech has been involved in politics for a long time — he was elected as a city councillor in Nanaimo, B.C. when he was just 18. He also established a non-profit to help students access post-secondary scholarships.
The government says Beech will be responsible for Service Canada and the new portfolio will cover any services the federal government provides directly to Canadians, such as passport applications and employment insurance. The B.C. government has a similar cabinet role.
Quebec
MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada is the new minister responsible for the
Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.
Martinez Ferrada represents the riding of Hochelaga. (Ivanoh Demers/Radio-Canada)
Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada has been named minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions.
Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, was first elected in the 2019 election and has been a parliamentary secretary since then, most recently for the minister of housing.
Ferrada and her family came to Canada in the 1980s after fleeing Chile, then controlled by dictator Augusto Pinochet.
She served as a city councillor in Montreal and was chief of staff to Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly when Joly was still the minister of heritage.
Mississauga-Streetsville
MP Rechie Valdez arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau
Hall in Ottawa, Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Ontario MP Rechie Valdez is the new minister of small business, taking over a portfolio previously under Minister of International Trade and Export Promotion Mary Ng.
The MP for Mississauga-Streetsville was first elected in 2021 and is the only new minister who hasn't held a parliamentary secretary position.
Valdez told reporters Wednesday that she has been advocating to make small business its own portfolio since she was elected.
"[I'm] super excited to be here and support small businesses," she said.
The Prime Minister's Office says Valdez is the first Filipino-Canadian woman elected to the House of Commons and the first to sit in cabinet.
Prior to her election, Valdez worked as a corporate banker and television host. She also ran a bakery in Mississauga specializing in Filipino desserts.
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Mario Dion 'will resume his duties as soon as he is able,' says his office
Catharine Tunney · CBC News · Posted: Mar 12, 2019 3:31 PM ET
1956 Comments
David Amos
@Alex Norris Methinks folk should ask me why this news does not
surprise me Nesy Pas?
"Canada’s new Transport Minister was caught driving drunk in 2010, according to police documents reviewed by the Halifax Chronicle Herald."
Nothing says “responsible decision-making” like appointing a drunk driver as the Transport Minister.
TCS Wire
July 26, 2023
Canada’s new Transport Minister was caught driving drunk in 2010, according to police documents reviewed by the Halifax Chronicle Herald.
Liberal MP facing charge of refusing breathalyzer test
By Maclean's June 8, 2010
According to police documents examined by the Halifax Chronicle Herald, Liberal MP Pablo Robdriguez had bloodshot eyes and alcohol on his breath after his BMW hit a parked car last April 16. A police report into the incident notes Rodriguez initially denied having had anything to drink prior to the accident and then admitted he’d had “two small glasses of wine” before leaving Ottawa that night for Montreal. When the officer tried to administer a breathalyzer test, “Rodriguez breathed very weakly and cut his breath repeatedly, all the while holding the plastic tip at the edge of his lips.” After several unsuccessful attempts to administer the test, the police officer warned Rodriguez he could be charged with refusing. “Rodriguez told me several times that we were going to damage his career that he had taken 30 years to build,” the officer reported. “He also mentioned that he hoped that it wasn’t because he was in the Liberal party that I was charging him. I told the monsieur that I was only doing my job.”The Montreal MP told reporters last month he would plead not guilty to a charge of refusing the breathalyzer test on June 15.
Chronicle Herald
Trump grants full pardon to former media baron Conrad Black
Black was convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice
CBC News · Posted: May 15, 2019 10:14 PM ADT
Trump grants full pardon to former media baron Conrad Black
Black was convicted in 2007 of fraud and obstruction of justice
CBC News · Posted: May 15, 2019 10:14 PM ADT