Five things to know about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s new cabinet

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made a dramatic change to his inner circle Wednesday, bringing in a number of new faces to cabinet and shuffling veterans into new roles. 

Here’s what you need to know about the new federal cabinet.

Seven in, seven out

Trudeau promoted seven members of Parliament, some of whom were first elected in 2015, and dropped seven others from his front bench. 

Among the rookies is Arif Virani, who previously served as parliamentary secretary of international trade and small business, who is now minister of justice and attorney general. He replaces David Lametti, who was altogether dropped from cabinet. 

Other newbies include Jenna Sudds, who becomes minister of families, children and social development and Ya’ara Saks, a Toronto MP who takes over as minister of mental health and addictions from longtime Toronto minister Carolyn Bennett. 

Rechie Valdez, another Toronto-area MP, has been named the minister of small business and is the first Filipino-Canadian woman appointed to cabinet. 

Former procurement and public services minister Helena Jaczek, former fisheries minister Joyce Murray and Omar Alghabra, who last served as transport minister, are no longer in cabinet after each announced they do not plan to run in the next election.

Mona Fortier, who had been Treasury Board president and oversaw its handling of the country’s largest public service strike this spring, is no longer in cabinet. 

Nor is Marco Mendicino, the former public safety minister. His handling of key files from gun control to the prison transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo repeatedly landed the government in hot water. 

New housing and immigration ministers

Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser, who was first appointed to cabinet after the 2021 federal election, moved from immigration to become minister of housing, infrastructure and communities. 

That change comes as Canada finds itself in the grips of a cost-of-living and housing crisis — two of the most pressing issues for the Liberal government as it deals with the lingering economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Marc Miller, a Montreal MP who was serving as Crown-Indigenous relations minister, is taking over the immigration, refugees and citizenship portfolio at a time of record-high immigration. 

Experienced hand takes over public safety 

Longtime Liberal cabinet minster Dominic LeBlanc takes over from Mendicino as public safety minister, while keeping his job overseeing intergovernmental affairs and democratic institutions. 

LeBlanc has been negotiating with opposition House leaders to set the terms of an inquiry into foreign interference.

Allegations that Beijing tried to meddle in the last two federal elections have dominated discussion on Parliament Hill since the fall, and the Liberal government resisted calls for an inquiry for months before asking LeBlanc to begin talks with the other parties.

The new role only adds to his workload. LeBlanc is now tasked with a to-do list that includes overseeing police and security agencies — including those responding to foreign interference — as well as shepherding the Liberal government’s contentious gun-control bill, which remains in the Senate. 

Canada gets a new heritage minister … again 

Trudeau has once again named a new minister to oversee Canadian Heritage. 

Quebec MP Pascale St-Onge — the former sports minister — takes over from Pablo Rodriguez, who is the new transport minister and keeps his post as Quebec lieutenant. 

St-Onge steps into the role just after the government passed two contentious pieces of legislation in Bill C-18, the Online News Act, and Bill C-11, the Online Streaming Act. 

In response to the new law requiring tech giants to pay when news links are shared or repurposed on their sites, Meta has vowed to block Canadian news on its Facebook and Instagram platforms. Google said it plans to follow suit later this year. 

Major portfolios get tweaks

Besides adding new faces to his cabinet, Trudeau also changed a number of ministry titles in an effort to emphasize what he wants his government to focus on. 

One of the major changes is to the housing portfolio, which now includes infrastructure. Experts say the housing crisis has worsened due to a housing shortage, leaving millions with a lack of affordable options. 

Trudeau has added a minister of citizens’ services. He also changed Jonathan Wilkinson’s title to minister of natural resources and energy, alluding to the importance of existing energy sources as Canada transitions from fossil fuels to more renewables. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 26, 2023. 

Stephanie Taylor, The Canadian Press