Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has on Wednesday unveiled a larger cabinet with which he aims to advance Liberal campaign promises of tackling climate change and promote middle-class prosperity.
The pivotal role in his new cabinet for a minority-government era went to Chrystia Freeland, who moved from the prestigious Global Affairs portfolio to become deputy prime minister and minister in charge of intergovernmental affairs.
Freeland role will be particularly important in Canada’s oil and gas heartland, Alberta and Saskatchewan, where the Liberals were shut out on Oct. 21.
In a further sign of outreach to the West, Trudeau tapped Jonathan Wilkinson, formerly fisheries minister, to take on the environment portfolio.
Seamus O’Regan was moved from Indigenous Services to take on Natural Resources, a crucial file as the government attempts to square the circle of tackling climate change while simultaneously expanding the Trans Mountain pipeline to carry Alberta crude to the B.C. coast for export overseas.
Trudeau’s new lineup also includes outreach to Quebec, in response to a resurgence of the separatist Bloc Quebecois in the election.
Montreal MP Pablo Rodriguez, formerly Canadian Heritage minister, takes on the crucial role of government House leader.
Rodriguez has also been named political minister for Quebec — a position Trudeau had resisted creating until now.
In all, Trudeau’s new cabinet includes 36 ministers — an increase of two — including 17 from Ontario, the province that ensured the Liberals’ re-election, and 10 from Quebec.
It maintains Trudeau’s insistence on an equal number of men and women, adds two newly elected MPs and elevates five experienced MPs from the backbench.
Only eight ministers were not moved, the most important being Bill Morneau who remains finance minister. But he will now be bolstered by Ottawa MP Mona Fortier, who takes on the newly created post of minister of middle-class prosperity and associate finance minister.
Other newcomers include Trudeau’s long-time friend, Montreal MP Marc Miller, who moves from the backbench to Indigenous Services, rookie Oakville MP Anita Anand, who takes over public services and procurement, and rookie Montreal MP Steven Guilbeault, a prominent environmentalist, who was given the heritage portfolio.
Trudeau has created a number of new portfolios, including one which appears to be an attempt to repair the damage done during the campaign by the disclosure of mortifying, long-ago photos showing Trudeau in blackface — a scandal that tarnished his image as a champion of diversity and inclusion.
He has now named Bardish Chagger, previously House leader, to be minister of the newly created post of diversity, inclusion and youth.
Among the few who were not moved were Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan, Justice Minister David Lametti, National Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains and Transport Minister Marc Garneau.
See full list below:
FULL LIST OF JUSTIN TRUDEAU’S CABINET
The returning, changing and new members of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet:
Chrystia Freeland becomes deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs
Anita Anand becomes minister of public services and procurement
Navdeep Bains becomes minister of innovation, science and industry
Carolyn Bennett remains minister of Crown-Indigenous relations
Marie-Claude Bibeau remains minister of agriculture and agri-food
Bill Blair becomes minister of public safety and emergency preparedness
Bardish Chagger becomes minister of diversity and inclusion and youth
Francois-Philippe Champagne becomes minister of foreign affairs
Jean-Yves Duclos becomes president of the Treasury Board
Mona Fortier becomes minister of middle-class prosperity and associate minister of finance
Marc Garneau remains minister of transport
Karina Gould becomes minister of international development
Steven Guilbeault becomes minister of Canadian heritage
Patty Hajdu becomes minister of health
Ahmed Hussen becomes minister of families, children and social development
Melanie Joly becomes minister of economic development and official languages
Bernadette Jordan becomes minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
David Lametti remains minister of justice and attorney general
Dominic LeBlanc becomes president of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada
Diane Lebouthillier remains minister of national revenue
Lawrence MacAulay remains minister of veterans affairs and associate minister of national defence
Catherine McKenna becomes minister of infrastructure and communities
Marco Mendicino becomes minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship
Marc Miller becomes minister of Indigenous services
Maryam Monsef becomes minister for women and gender equality and rural economic development
Bill Morneau remains minister of finance
Joyce Murray becomes minister of digital government
Mary Ng becomes minister of small business, export promotion and international trade
Seamus O’Regan becomes minister of natural resources
Carla Qualtrough becomes minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion
Pablo Rodriguez-Leader of the government in the House of Commons
Harjit Sajjan – minister of national defence
Deb Schulte – minister of seniors
Filomena Tassi – minister of labour
Dan Vandal – minister of northern affairs
Jonathan Wilkinson – minister of environment and climate change
