Eight MPs are being pushed up to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s front benches in a long-anticipated cabinet shuffle coming as the Prime Minister weighs his own future following a dramatic week that began with the shock exit of Chrystia Freeland.
Friday’s shuffle has been months in the making after a run of Mr. Trudeau’s ministers declared beginning in July they weren’t going to seek re-election, most recently Housing Minister Sean Fraser, or were resigning effective immediately.
But it also follows Ms. Freeland’s stunning resignation as Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister earlier this week in a rift over the direction of government, which triggered one of the Prime Minister’s most serious political crises of his tenure
She has already been replaced in Finance by Dominic LeBlanc, though no one now holds the deputy prime minister title.
Since then at least 18 Liberal MPs have publicly called for the Prime Minister to step down.
Mr. Fraser will be replaced with maverick Toronto Liberal Nate Erskine-Smith, who had previously said he too was considering bowing out of the beleaguered Liberal government but now occupies the politically dominant portfolio responsible for addressing Canada’s housing crunch.
Others making the jump up to cabinet include Rachel Bendayan as Minister of Official Languages and Élisabeth Brière as Minister of National Revenue -- two Quebec MPs, and both from ridings the Liberals are at risk of losing come the next election.
Mr. Trudeau has also reassigned some of his existing ministers, leaving Anita Anand as Minister of Transport, while adding the internal trade portfolio to her responsibilities, and handing her previous role as President of the Treasury Board to Ginette Petitpas Taylor.
She’s being replaced as Veterans Minister by Nova Scotia MP Darren Fisher.
Steve MacKinnon is adding employment and workforce development to his current responsibility for the labour file, while his role as Minister of Seniors is being assigned to cabinet newcomer Joanne Thompson, from Newfoundland and Labrador.
Missing from the regional mix -- a cabinet minister from Alberta. Randy Boissonnault, one of two Liberal MPs in the province, left cabinet in November amid questions about his claims to Indigenous identity.
The other Liberal, George Chahal, was among those who publicly called for a secret ballot vote on Mr. Trudeau’s feature in a mini-caucus revolt in October.
Also jumping into cabinet is MP David McGuinty, who will take on the public safety portfolio. Mr. McGuinty has been the chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians, a top-secret and cross-partisan body of MPs and Senators whose last report into foreign interference included allegations of complicit MPs.
The Globe reported on Thursday night that Mr. Trudeau was in discussions with close advisers about whether he should stay on as leader. Several cabinet ministers are campaigning to persuade Mr. Trudeau to stay and overcome mounting calls to quit, and three sources said he is reflecting on his future but will not decide on whether to stay or leave until early in the new year.
The Globe is not identifying the sources because they were not authorized to disclose private conversations with the Prime Minister.
Mr. Trudeau has not spoken publicly about his future since Ms. Freeland’s resignation, and while he will attend a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall on Friday, his itinerary does not say he will hold a news conference. He has also cancelled his usual year-end media interviews.
A federal election is slated for next October, but the minority government could fall sooner if it loses a confidence vote.
Changes to the Prime Minister’s cabinet
- Anita Anand becomes Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
- Gary Anandasangaree becomes Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- Steven MacKinnon becomes Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
- Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes President of the Treasury Board
- Rachel Bendayan becomes Minister of Official Languages and Associate Minister of Public Safety
- Élisabeth Brière becomes Minister of National Revenue
- Terry Duguid becomes Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
- Nathaniel Erskine-Smith becomes Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
- Darren Fisher becomes Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
- David McGuinty becomes Minister of Public Safety
- Ruby Sahota becomes Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
- Joanne Thompson becomes Minister of Seniors