Dear Member,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced his new Cabinet at a ceremony held at Rideau Hall this morning. The announcement includes a significant number of new Ministers and portfolio changes, and represents the most extensive Cabinet shake-up since the Trudeau government first came to power in 2015. This being said, a number of Ministers are retaining their current portfolios, including Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, International Trade Minister Mary Ng and Finance Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Also worth noting is the appointment of Vancouver MP Joyce Murray as Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, the appointment of Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenshipp, and the appointment of former Heritage Minister Stephen Guilbeault as the new Minister of Environment and Climate Change.
Below is a more detailed summary of the new Cabinet as relates to Ministries that may be of particular interest to Federation members:
Ministers Remaining in their Current Portfolios
- Omar Alghabra – Minister of Transport
- Marie Claude Bibeau – Minister of Agriculture
- Francois Philippe Champagne – Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
- Chrystia Freeland – Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
- David Lametti – Attorney General and Minister of Justice
- Mary Ng – Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion and Economic Development
- Carla Qualtrough – Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
Ministers Moving to New or Restructured Portfolios
- Anita Anand – Minister of National Defense (previously Public Services and Procurement)
- Bill Blair – Minister of Emergency Preparedness (formerly Public Safety)
- Jean Yves Duclos – Minister of Health (formerly Treasury Bord)
- Steven Guilbeault – Minister of Environment and Climate Change (previously Canadian Heritage)
- Patty Hajdu – Minister of Indigenous Services (formerly Health)
- Melanie Joly – Minister of Foreign Affairs (formerly Economic Development & Official Languages)
- Dominic Leblanc – Minister of Infrastructure and Communities (retains Intergovernmental Affairs)
- Marco Mendocino – Minister of Public Safety (formerly Immigration)
- Marc Miller – Minister of Crown Indigenous Relations (formerly Indigenous Services)
- Seamus O’Regan – Minister of Labour (formerly Natural Resources)
- Harjit Sajan – Minister of International Development (previously National Defence)
- Filomena Tassi – Minister of Public Services and Procurement (previously Labour)
- Jonathan Wilkinson – Minister of Natural Resources (previously Environment)
New Ministers Entering the Cabinet
- Sean Fraser – Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Joyce Murry – Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
The Federation will be sending congratulatory letters to relevant Ministers over the next few days, with a view to highlighting issues of interest / concern to the ocean shipping industry that serves Canada’s exporters and importers. We will also be holding a government relations event in Ottawa this spring, at which time Board members and Federation staff will have an opportunity to discuss issues and priorities with some of the Ministers noted above.
We are now awaiting publication of the ministerial mandate letters, which outline the key priorities and strategic directions that the Prime Minister expects each Minister to fulfill as the government embarks on its second term of office.
The press release from the Prime Minister’s office announcing the new Cabinet can be found HERE.
Sincerely,
Karen Kancens
Vice President