Prime Minister Justin Trudeau yesterday announced a new Cabinet following the September 20, 2021 election. The priorities for the new Cabinet include creating jobs, growing the middle class, homeownership, accelerating the fight against climate change, $10-a-day childcare, and truth and reconciliation. We expect that the Prime Minister’s Office will issue new mandate letters for the ministers in the coming days.
The new Cabinet is gender-balanced and reflective of Canada’s diversity. It is noteworthy that three of the most significant ministries (Finance, Foreign Affairs, and National Defence) are now held by women. The climate agenda is also likely to be bolstered by a strong pairing of Minister Wilkinson, a former environmental innovator, at Natural Resources and Minister Guilbeault, a former environmental advocate, at Environment and Climate Change. The elevation of Edmonton Centre MP, Randy Boisonneault, to Cabinet as Associate Minister of Finance and Minister of Tourism is likely to add a more geographically-diverse perspective to Cabinet decisions in and around energy infrastructure. Minister Hajdu’s move from her strong leadership at Health during the pandemic to Indigenous Services is also consistent with the government’s stated priority on Indigenous reconciliation.
The new confirmed Cabinet is as follows:
- Steven Guilbeault becomes Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Jonathan Wilkinson becomes Minister of Natural Resources
- Chrystia Freeland remains Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
- Mélanie Joly becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs
- David Lametti remains Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
- Marc Miller becomes Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
- Omar Alghabra remains Minister of Transport
- Anita Anand becomes Minister of National Defence
- Carolyn Bennett becomes Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
- Marie-Claude Bibeau remains Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
- Bill Blair becomes President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness
- Randy Boissonnault becomes Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
- François-Philippe Champagne remains Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
- Jean-Yves Duclos becomes Minister of Health
- Mona Fortier becomes President of the Treasury Board
- Sean Fraser becomes Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Karina Gould becomes Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
- Patty Hajdu becomes Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
- Mark Holland becomes Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
- Ahmed Hussen becomes Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
- Gudie Hutchings becomes Minister of Rural Economic Development
- Marci Ien becomes Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
- Helena Jaczek becomes Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
- Kamal Khera becomes Minister of Seniors
- Dominic LeBlanc becomes Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
- Diane Lebouthillier remains Minister of National Revenue
- Lawrence MacAulay remains Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
- Marco E. L. Mendicino becomes Minister of Public Safety
- Joyce Murray becomes Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
- Mary Ng becomes Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
- Seamus O’Regan Jr. becomes Minister of Labour
- Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Carla Qualtrough remains Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
- Pablo Rodriguez becomes Minister of Canadian Heritage and remains Quebec Lieutenant
- Harjit S. Sajjan becomes Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
- Pascale St-Onge becomes Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
- Filomena Tassi becomes Minister of Public Services and Procurement
- Dan Vandal becomes Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada, and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
For further information or to discuss the contents of this bulletin, please contact Lisa DeMarco at lisa@resilientllp.com.
