Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shuffled his cabinet after a chaotic week for the Liberals that saw two ministers step down and lingering questions about his own future.
Eight new ministers were sworn in and four other existing cabinet members were reassigned at a ceremony presided over by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon at Ottawa’s Rideau Hall on Friday.
Ottawa-area MP David McGuinty — the brother of former Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty — is the new public safety minister, replacing Dominic LeBlanc, who was sworn in earlier this week as the finance minister.
McGuinty is chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians.
Élisabeth Brière became the new national revenue minister, replacing Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Terry Duguid replaces Carla Qualtrough as the sport minister.
Toronto-area MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who has previously said he does not plan to run again, is the new housing minister.
He takes the place of Sean Fraser, the previous housing minister, who announced on Monday he was stepping down from the cabinet for family reasons.
On Friday, Erskine-Smith said that “it wasn’t an easy decision by any means,” but after consulting with his family and colleagues, he plans to run in the next election.
Darren Fisher is the new minister of veterans affairs and the associate minister of national defence.
Ruby Sahota will take on the dual role of minister for democratic institutions and the minister responsible for the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario.
The new seniors minister is Joanne Thompson.
Rachel Bendayan was sworn in as the official languages minister and associate minister of public safety.
Anita Anand, who will continue her role as transport minister, will now also take on internal trade.
Gary Anandasangaree, who is minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, will take on additional roles of the northern affairs minister and the minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon will now also take over the portfolio of employment and workforce development.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor, previously the veterans affairs minister, has now been appointed president of the Treasury Board, a role that Anand had held.
Friday’s cabinet shuffle comes after Chrystia Freeland, in a surprise announcement on Monday, resigned as the finance minister on the same day she was supposed to present the fall economic statement.
In her letter addressed to Trudeau, Freeland noted that in recent weeks, she has found herself increasingly “at odds” with the prime minister.
The newly sworn-in ministers will have their work cut out for them ahead of the incoming Trump administration. U.S. president-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a sweeping 25 per cent tariff on all Canadian goods unless Canada increases border security.
The ministers put up a united front Friday, reiterating the need for a “Team Canada approach.”