Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added eight Liberal MPs to front-line seats and reappointed four ministers in a cabinet reshuffle in Ottawa on Friday. But as soon as they were sworn in, they faced questions about the political future of the government and its leaders.
After a turbulent week for the federal Liberal Party, the changes to the cabinet list are framed as a bid to bring some stability to President-elect Donald Trump just a month before he takes office.
But before the ceremony began, Trudeau was dealt a major blow to his last remaining pillar of support in Parliament, the country on which the beleaguered minority relied to stay in power. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has dropped a letter declaring his party will table a motion of no confidence in the new year.
In response to Singh’s letter, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poièvre also wrote a letter to Governor Mary Simon He asked her to speak to Prime Minister Trudeau about recalling the House of Commons for a vote of confidence.
Prime Minister Trudeau attended a ceremony presided over by the Governor General in the Rideau Hall ballroom. It was his first public appearance since facing fresh calls for his resignation.
After canceling a series of interviews at the end of the year, Trudeau did not take questions from reporters after the shuffle. Instead, he headed to Parliament Hill and convened a Cabinet meeting at 3pm Eastern time. After the meeting ended, the prime minister appeared briefly in front of the cameras.
“We just had a great cabinet meeting that focused almost entirely on the power relationship between Canada and the United States. “I know how important it is to be there for ‘face to face,'” Trudeau said.
“We have a lot of work to do and that’s what we’re focused on,” the prime minister said, walking away when asked if he was considering a suspended sentence.
Introducing who will be participating and who will be given new responsibilities.
Ontario MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith will become Canada’s next Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities, replacing Sean Fraser, who announced on Monday that he would not run again.
And the Ontario MP took over the public safety portfolio from Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who took over the top economic post on Monday following Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation. He is currently the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Intelligence (NSICOP). David McGuinty.
Other Liberal Party members who joined the Cabinet are as follows:
- Quebec MP Rachel Bendayan has been appointed Canada’s Minister of Official Languages and Deputy Minister of Public Safety.
- Quebec MP Elisabeth Brière will become Minister of National Revenue, replacing Marie-Claude Bibeau, who is not running again.
- Manitoba Member of Parliament Terry Duguid is appointed Minister of Sports and Minister of Economic Development for the Canadian Prairies.
- Nova Scotia MP Darren Fisher is Canada’s new Minister of Veterans Affairs and Deputy Minister of Defence.
- Newfoundland and Labrador MP Joanne Thompson has assumed the title of senior minister, a role she inherited after Seamus O’Regan resigned from the cabinet.
- Outgoing Ontario MP Ruby Sahota will take over the democratic institutions portfolio and become minister in charge of the federal Economic Development Authority of Southern Ontario, the same position as outgoing Minister Philomena Tassi.
The following ministers are currently serving in new or modified positions:
- Anita Anand, who was the Finance Commission President and Transport Minister, is currently the Transport and Internal Trade Minister.
- Gary Anandasangaree will retain his role as Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations and take over the position of Northern Affairs and Northern Economic Development Canada from Dan Vandal, who is not running again.
- Stephen McKinnon remains Labor minister, but also takes over the jobs, workforce development and official languages role from Randy Boissonneau, who resigned last month to focus on clearing up allegations against him.
- Ginette Petitpas-Taylor will become Canada’s next Treasury Board president.
As expected, based on LeBlanc’s comments yesterday, Mark Carney was not appointed to a cabinet position in this reshuffle, as Prime Minister Trudeau assured LeBlanc that he would remain in his current role until the next election.
Throughout the transition, Prime Minister Trudeau has sought to maintain gender equality and achieve the best possible balance of regional representation. The current prime minister’s cabinet maintains an equal number of men and women. There are 19 ministers excluding the prime minister, for a total of 38 ministers.
Ministers pressed Trudeau about his future.
People familiar with the matter say Trudeau is ready to make changes in his inner circle, but that should not be interpreted as the prime minister ready to declare next steps.
In a statement announcing the ministerial changes, Trudeau said his team is committed to “the things that matter most to you: making lives more affordable, growing the economy, and creating good jobs for the middle class.” We are focused on it.”
“Together, we will continue to build a strong future for the middle class and all Canadians,” he said.
However, how long Trudeau will remain at the helm remains an open question. When ministers appeared before reporters after the ceremony, they were repeatedly asked whether they still trusted the prime minister and why.
“We are here today because we absolutely support the Prime Minister,” Petitpas-Taylor said. “I can’t answer that question on behalf of those who have already commented. We are here today. We are a united front.”
Mr. Anand, who was clearly upset to learn of Mr. Freeland’s resignation on Monday, said he had reflected on the events of this week, spoke with the prime minister and concluded that “this is the moment when we need to make a decision.” . Let’s stand together. ”
Anand cited the “increasing threat” the Trump administration poses to Canada’s economy, saying, “Unless all our leaders come together in the same direction, the outcome will not be as strong as it otherwise would be.” .
However, others acknowledged the situation.
“Politics is about choices, and in many cases they are difficult choices. I think the prime minister has made it clear that there are choices that he regrets,” Bendayan said.
“As each of us does, and I certainly speak for myself, I made a choice today. The decision I made was based on the intention I always had, and it was It was about participating in politics without having to worry about “not worrying about elections, or the partisan nature of the job, but to serve Canadians.” ”
Erskine-Smith, who is known on The Hill for his independent background, said he took on this new responsibility knowing it might be for a limited time.
“I know we have a short runway. It’s not that we don’t know that. But if we can make a small difference, if we can make a big difference, we want to make as big a difference as we can.” ” he said. “That’s why I joined politics in the first place…It was never an easy decision.”
Ministers then struck an optimistic tone as they faced questions about the loss of their last remaining dance partner as they entered and exited a Cabinet meeting on Friday afternoon.
“I look forward to the support of all my colleagues in both Houses of Parliament and our focus on the important issues facing Canada,” Fisher said.
“Of course the government can continue,” McGuinty said. “I think we need to go back to the House and work hard to gain support. Everything is negotiable in the House.”
