A New Team Positioned to Solve Crucial Challenges for the Difficult Third Mandate

At virtually every point in the life of a government, Cabinet making remains a difficult craft. Those tasked with the job have to take, from the crooked timber of personalities and perspectives within the caucus, the best and, if we’re all lucky, the brightest people who can turn the planks of the last platform into a sound structure that can survive every crisis or unforced error that comes a government’s way. However, as Trudeau’s Liberals, once strongly commanding a majority, have returned with their second minority government, the job at hand had to be the most difficult yet.

Three things had to be accomplished. The first and most important, given the nasty ordeal of the last election campaign, was to justify the claim of a “clear mandate” that Trudeau announced in his victory speech. The choice of the team must signal this government is up to addressing the complex, global challenges this government will have to manage over the next two to four years. Over that long summer that aged the Liberal brand, these issues were framed as the crucial questions for the long term: tackling climate change, bending the arc of economic recovery into one tempered for growth and deficit reduction once again, and addressing the systemic inequities that the pandemic exposed. The second consideration was more HR-related: how do you effectively replace and/or reassign those ministers whose performance created, rather than solved problems?

Lastly, and arguably the most strategically important consideration for Trudeau was the question his caucus wants answered: the Liberals formed a government that seems farther from rather than closer to a majority, where the urban and rural divide in voter intention has only increased over the last six years – how does the new team position the Liberals to fix these glaring vulnerabilities before the next issuance of the writs?

Judged on these terms, the choices for this new Cabinet make a great deal of sense. To address climate change, two ministers with strong policy bona fides on the files, Guilbeault and Wilkinson, will be at Environment and Natural Resources. For key economic files, Freeland and Champagne provide continuity and bring their strong talents for stakeholder relations to bear on the Finance and Industry portfolios. Their efforts are sure to be bolstered by the best senior staffers in this government. To solve the strategic conundrum the Liberals are facing, new Cabinet roles for those tasked with the economic development agencies in the regions indicates the Liberals are poised to invest the resources and political capital to get to work on the urban and rural divide. However, the composite picture that takes in the full Cabinet roster, with some subtle tweaks to portfolios (ie. no more Digital Government yet a new Housing portfolio, no more Middle Class mandate yet a new split in responsibilities for Health) will take some time to come into full focus.

Below are the ones to watch – notable either for the roles they’ll take on or for the fact they are new faces at the Cabinet table.

What Comes Next 

Now that Cabinet has been established, Ministers will be receiving their mandate letters, which we expect will become public in the near future. Parliamentary Secretaries will be named to support Ministers and the House of Commons will reconvene on November 22.

The timeline between the House of Commons reconvening and breaking for winter is extremely tight. In those four weeks where the House will be operational, the government will deliver a Speech From the Throne outlining their new vision, introduce and pass remaining legislation from Budget 2022, release a Fall Economic Statement, and re-introduce some of the key legislation that died on the Order Paper when the election was called. Expect a flurry of activity and a furious four weeks once the House is back in session. After the winter break, the House reconvenes on January 31, 2022.

 

Meet the Cabinet: Cabinet Newcomers 

Randy Boissonnault
(Edmonton Centre, AB)
Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance

Alberta will finally have representation at the Cabinet table again with the appointment of Randy Boissonnault in dual roles as the Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance. The last time Alberta was represented in Cabinet was by Amarjeet Sohi, who was defeated in the 2019 election and is now the mayor of Edmonton. Boissonnault is no political rookie – he was first elected in 2015 where he was the Parliamentary Secretary to Heritage and a special advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 Issues.

The tourism sector has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic, so Boissonnault will have much of his work cut out for him as he seeks to revive the sector, and oversee the delivery of the newly announced benefit, the Tourism and Hospitality Recovery Program that will support hotels, restaurants, bars, festivals, travel agencies, and tour operators. He takes over the Associate Minister of Finance role from Mona Fortier, where he will provide critical perspectives and representation from Western Canada to Chrystia Freeland, the Minister of Finance. Boissonnault studied and Oxford is one of a handful of Rhodes Scholars in Cabinet.

Kamal Khera
(Brampton West, ON)
Minister of Seniors

Kamal Khera was elected as the Member of Parliament for Brampton West in 2015 and has served as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development, to the Minister of National Revenue and the to the Minister of Health. A registered nurse who went back into the field to help during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, volunteering at a long-term care home to help with the vaccine roll out, Khera is well-regarded for being easy to work with.

She will take on a Seniors portfolio that is light on policymaking but heavier on stakeholder engagement – a job well-suited to a rookie minister. Her presence in Cabinet also adds representation for the City of Brampton and more representation for the Region of Peel in the Greater Toronto Area, bolstering support for Liberals in the 905.

Sean Fraser
(Central Nova, NS)
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Canadian Citizenship

Sean Fraser was first elected in the Liberals’ 2015 majority government where he has since made a name for himself as an extremely effective MP and parliamentary secretary. He last served as parliamentary secretary in the finance portfolio. No doubt due for a promotion, Mr. Fraser takes over the Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees Canada file as minister after a busy summer that saw the department swamped with work related to aiding Afghani interpreters in getting out of the country and opening up a special immigration program for Afghanis fleeing the country after the Taliban takeover.

There are a few files Mr. Fraser will have to dive right into right out of the gate, including delivering on commitments to bring in more Afghani refugees, work with Global Affairs on other migrant challenges around the world such as the Venezuelan migrant crisis, relieving backlogs of applications for new immigrants, protecting newcomers by ensuring the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants is effectively established next month to better regulate the immigration consulting profession, and ensuring that Canada can continue to meet its ambitious immigration targets despite the challenges faced as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Gudie Hutchings
(Long Range Mountains, NL)
Minister of Rural Economic Development

Gudie Hutchings will be the new Minister of Rural Economic Development, after serving in the portfolio as Parliamentary Secretary for Women and Gender Equality and Rural Economic Development and after her predecessor, Maryam Monsef was defeated. Hutchings’ promotion to Cabinet is reflective of this government’s desire to invest in rural regions, and close the urban-rural divide, particularly as it comes to the availability of high-speed internet. This government sees rural economic development as a key driver of economic growth, and as a part of a strategy to attract and retain new immigrants.

Ms. Hutchings has strong community ties and over 30 years of experience in the tourism industry and a decade as a board member for the Newfoundland and Labrador Outfitters Association, where she also served as president. She was also Chair and Managing Director of the Battle Harbour Historic Trust, an organization committed to protecting and promoting the history, integrity, and natural environment of Battle Harbour.

Marci Ien
(Toronto Centre, ON)
Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth

Toronto Centre’s Marci Ien is appointed as the Minister for Women, Gender Equality and Youth. For a party that has placed so much significance on gender parity and inclusion, expect that Ien will play a strong role in Cabinet, and in particular as it relates to supporting BIPOC communities. A former visiting professor at Ryerson, Ms. Ien also spent many years as a mentor with Trust15, working with underprivileged youth.

Considered one of the government’s best communicators, Ms. Ien will spend the majority of her time working with women and youth groups, hosting consultations and events to engage key communities.

Pascale St-Onge
(Brome—Missisquoi, QC)
Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

The newly elected Pascale St-Onge will take on two portfolios as Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec. The Minister of Sport portfolio is an excellent way for new ministers to ease themselves into a sport around the Cabinet table, however, there will be challenging decisions ahead, such as whether to participate in the upcoming Olympic games.

As Quebec businesses seek to recover and restart post-pandemic, heading up Quebec’s regional development agency won’t be any cake walk either. Over the past decade, she served as Secretary General then President of the Fédération nationale des communications et de la culture, where she worked to address the challenges facing the media, newspapers, and cultural sector.

Helena Jaczek
(Markham—Stouffville, ON)
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency of Southern Ontario

First elected in 2019, Dr. Helena Jaczek will assume the role as Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario, where she will oversee business recovery in one Canada’s economic centres. That this portfolio is the only regional development agency with a minister who has a singular responsibility, demonstrates the significant weight this government will place on ensuring effective economic recovery in the region.

Dr. Jaczek served as the provincial MPP for a neighbouring riding from 2007-2018. During that time, she served as Ontario’s Minister of Health and Long-Term Care, Chair of Cabinet, Ontario’s Minister of Community and Social Services, Vice-Chair of the Health, Education and Social Policy Cabinet Committee and, from 2011 to 2014, Chair of Liberal Caucus.

Mark Holland
(Ajax, ON)
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons

Mark Holland moves from being the Chief Government Whip to being Leader of the Government in the House of Commons. Given his experience as Whip, this appointment reflects on his strong experience with parliamentary procedure. The Chief Government Whip has not been announced at this time.

 

Meet the Cabinet: Old Faces, New Places 

Dominic Leblanc
(Beauséjour, NB)
Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

First elected in 2000 and re-elected seven times since, the Honourable Dominic LeBlanc has represented the riding of Beauséjour for over 20 years. Leblanc has a history of serving in departmental roles while also serving as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, usually with an eye toward effectively engaging provinces in difficult-but-necessary negotiations surrounding funding agreements. LeBlanc is seen as an effective communicator in Cabinet and is close with the Prime Minister from early childhood when he used to babysit Justin Trudeau.

He is called upon by the Prime Minister to provide counsel on different government issues – a rarity in the Trudeau government. Immediately, LeBlanc will have to get a handle on major infrastructure projects where the federal government is a partner, including transit projects in Montreal, Toronto, Hamilton and Greater Vancouver. He will also have to contend with finding a way for the Canada Infrastructure Bank to live up to its oft-hyped yet unachieved potential as a funnel for capital into the next generation of infrastructure projects across Canada.

Pablo Rodriguez
(Honoré-Mercier, QC)
Minister of Canadian Heritage, Quebec Lieutenant

The Honourable Pablo Rodriguez was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Honoré-Mercier in 2004, and has been re-elected five times. This role is a homecoming for Rodriguez who served previously as Minister of Heritage. He retains the title of Quebec Lieutenant, reflecting the trust the Prime Minister has in him to understand the political currents in Quebec and ensure the government is responding to them.

When he previously served in the Canadian Heritage role, Rodriguez was at loggerheads with his Cabinet colleague, Navdeep Bains, on how to approach the regulation of ‘web giants. Ultimately, Pablo won this battle and had key commitments to new regulations established in the 2019 Liberal Party platform. Since then, the fine details of that commitment and the resulting legislation have caused problems for the previous minister, Steven Guilbeault. Pablo’s return is an attempt to finish the job of passing that legislation with clear and effective communication of the government’s aims.

Joyce Murray
(Vancouver Quadra, BC)
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

The Honourable Joyce Murray was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Vancouver Quadra in 2008. She has previously served as Minister of Digital Government and as President of the Treasury Board. As a Liberal minister who represents a coastal riding, Murray has an independent streak in Cabinet.

It is unlikely there will be any issues related to her portfolio that occur directly within her riding though, allowing her to avoid the turmoil faced by the former minister, Bernadette Jordan, who lost her seat in the recent election.

Marco Mendicino
(Eglinton – Lawrence, ON)
Minister of Public Safety

The Honourable Marco E. L. Mendicino was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Eglinton—Lawrence in 2015. He has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary for Justice and later Infrastructure, and in 2019 was appointed as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. Before entering politics, Mendicino was a federal prosecutor for a decade. His previous experience makes him a natural choice for the Public Safety in a Trudeau government where previous experience and history sometimes factor into how roles are awarded. Mendicino will be expected to keep on top of major issues of which there is never a shortage at Public Safety, one of the most demanding issue-heavy portfolios in all of government.

Mendicino will also have to walk a fine line between his natural inclination to build bridges across the aisle, and the contrasts he will be asked to draw between Liberals and Conservatives, especially on the matter of gun safety. The promotion for Mendicino is seen as recognition of a job well done at IRCC and for his efforts to organize for the Liberal Party in the recent federal election throughout the Greater Toronto Area.

Steven Guilbeault
(Laurier—Sainte-Marie, QC)
Minister of Environment and Climate Canada

Guilbeault’s appointment as the minister of Environment and Climate Change Canada is a signal to the weight this government will place on protecting the environment and transitioning to a net-zero economy. Guilbeault spent decades prior to entering politics working at Équiterre and Greenpeace, as a prominent activist, and as a strategic advisor at an investment fund dedicated to clean technologies. While Guilbeault didn’t find success in his role at Heritage where he failed to shepherd C-10 through to ascent in the last parliament, and where he was roundly criticized for significant communications failures on the bill, the environment portfolio is one he is much more familiar and comfortable within, and clearly the prime minister expects him to thrive here and grow into what will be one of the most prominent ministries in this government.

Expect Guilbeault to be a force at COP26, and in the tight window the Liberals have while the House is active before breaking for winter, expect that Guilbeault will re-table Bill C-28 which makes significant amendments to the Canada Environmental Protection Act (CEPA).

Anita Anand
(Oakville, ON)
Minister of National Defence

Anita Anand, first elected in 2019, becomes Justin Trudeau’s second Minister for National Defence. Minister Anand was recently the Minister for Public Services and Procurement Canada, where she was directly responsible for defence procurement. However, given the pandemic, the bulk of her effort while minister was focused on procuring goods and services to help fight against COVID-19. The highlight of her time as a minister was spearheading Canada’s efforts to secure COVID-19 vaccines.

Minister Anand will be responsible for bringing credibility back to the position and reasserting Canada’s place amongst its Five Eyes and NATO allies. She will also continue to work with her successor at PSPC on major capital defence procurement programs such as the Future Fighter Capability Project; all while dealing with the sexual misconduct scandal that has clouded over National Defence Headquarters. A lawyer by trade, Minister Anand has an extensive legal education and was previously a professor of law at the University of Toronto. Her background in corporate governance will serve her well in her new role.

Jonathan Wilkinson
(North Vancouver, BC)
Minister of Natural Resources of Canada

Moving Jonathan Wilkinson, the former environment minister to the natural resources portfolio is further testament to the importance that the Liberals will place on developing the transition to a cleaner economy, including helping to spur Canada’s carbon-intensive industries like oil and gas to green their operations. Wilkinson will also take on the challenge of establishing Canada as a global leader in the production of batteries for zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) as a goal of Canada’s critical minerals strategy. With ambitious net-zero targets set by the Liberals and an emissions reductions framework on the horizon, Wilkinson will have to work closely with Environment and Climate Change Canada to create effective pathways for Canada to adopt more clean and renewable sources of energy and to further green some of our more traditional sectors like mining.

Before joining government, Wilkinson garnered significant experience in the private sector, working with companies seeking to develop green technologies. He has further experience as a management consultant and is a Rhodes scholar.

Jean-Yves Duclos
(Québec, QC)
Minister of Health

The health portfolio has been one of the most challenging across all of government since late 2019 due to the pandemic. We know that one of the Trudeau government’s most significant priorities moving forward is finishing the fight against COVID-19, which will no doubt prove tricky as regional and localized flareups continue across the country. Duclos most recently served as the President of the Treasury Board, and prior to that as the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development where he was responsible for implementing key commitments such as Canada Child Benefit and work on the National Housing Strategy. He will have to work across the provinces with premiers seeking to renegotiate the Canada Health Transfer.

Trudeau promised $25 billion in new healthcare funding to the provinces as part of the Liberal platform, which would come with strings attached – for example, hiring 7,500 new family doctors, raising wages for personal support workers in long-term care, and a new direct transfer for mental health that will rise to $2 billion annually by 2025-26. Duclos will also have to drive efforts related to pharmacare and lowering prescription drug prices. An economist, Duclos is well regarded within the party for his sharp policy expertise. Prior to his election in 2015, he was the Director of the Department of Economics and a tenured professor at the Université Laval.

Carolyn Bennett
(Toronto – St. Paul’s, ON)
Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health

Carolyn Bennett takes on one of the few new portfolios as the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions (and Associate Minister of Health). First elected in 1997, she previously served as Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and Minister of State for Public Health. While the pandemic brought a number of challenges that previously persisted largely in the shadows to light, mental health is no doubt one of the most prominent and that it now has its own cabinet portfolio is demonstrative of the size of the challenge, but also the commitment by the Trudeau government to invest in solutions.

The addictions aspect of the portfolio cannot be ignored either, as opioid and other addictions have severely impacted both society and the economy. Bennett will likely be tasked with implementing the platform commitment to establish permanent, ongoing funding for mental health services under the Canada Mental Health Transfer, with an initial investment of $4.5 billion over 5 years. She will therefore need to work closely with her colleagues in Intergovernmental Affairs. Prior to her election in 1997, Minister Bennett was a family physician and an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the University of Toronto. Her fight to save the Women’s College Hospital of Toronto inspired her to enter politics.

Filomena Tassi
(Hamilton West– Ancaster – Dundas, ON)
Minister of Public Services and Procurement

Ahead of the pandemic, no one would have predicted that the Minister of Public Services and Procurement would end up being one the most prominent roles in government. As the Liberals have committed to finishing the fight against COVID-19, and as Filomena Tassi takes over the role, it will not be any less prominent – particularly on the vaccine front, which is what elevated the role in the first place. Canada will have to continue to procure vaccines as they get approved for children, and if and when boosters are recommended, as well as work to establish our vaccine manufacturing capacity after establishing an MOU with Moderna to create a facility in Canada.

Tassi will have to work with her colleagues at the Public Health Agency of Canada to implement a new personal protective equipment stockpiling strategy, as was recommended by the Auditor General. She will also continue to work closely with her predecessor Anita Anand, who has moved to Defence, on multi-billion-dollar procurement programs for the Canadian Armed Forces. First elected in 2015, Tassi has previously served as Minister of Labour and Minister of Seniors.

Mona Fortier
(Ottawa-Vanier)
President of the Treasury Board

After serving as the Minister of Middle Class Prosperity and Associate Minister of Finance, Mona Fortier gets a promotion as the new President of the Treasury Board. Fortier garnered significant additional Cabinet experience through committees that she coordinated and chaired. One the biggest early challenges Fortier will take on is implementing and overseeing the directive for all employees of the public service to get vaccinated. She will further work with the public service to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion across departments, digitize government – including remedying the Phoenix Pay fiasco – and continue the government’s regulatory reform efforts.

Prior to being elected, Minister Fortier worked as the Chief Director of Communications and Market Development at Collège La Cité and managed her own strategic communications consulting firm. She has also served on several non-profit Boards of Directors, including for Montfort Hospital, Ontario’s Provincial Advisory Committee on Francophone Affairs, and the Shaw Centre.

Mélanie Joly
(Ahuntsic-Cartierville)
Minister of Foreign Affairs

Mélanie Joly will be taking one of the top jobs in Cabinet as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Previously serving as Minister of Economic Development, Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie, Joly is considered one of Trudeau’s more trusted ministers. She assumes the role amidst growing pressure to reaffirm relationships with Canada’s key foreign allies, including the Unites States, whose relationship since Biden has taken over the presidency has been frosty – driven largely by the United States’ propositions on Buy America.

Joly will further be tasked with determining how best to engage with China, now that the two Michaels are home. Prior to entering federal politics, Minister Joly founded the Vrai changement pour Montréal party and ran for mayor of Montréal in 2013 under its banner.

 

The Rest of the Team: Steady Hands 

• Chrystia Freeland | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
• François-Philippe Champagne | Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
• David Lametti | Minister of Justice and Attorney General
• Bill Blair | Minister of Emergency Preparedness and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada
• Harjit Sajjan | Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency
• Marie-Claude Bibeau | Minister of Agriculture Agri-Food
• Seamus O’Regan | Minister of Labour
• Carla Qualtrough | Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
• Patty Hajdu | Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
• Marc Miller | Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
• Ahmed Hussen | Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
• Lawrence MacAulay | Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
• Diane Lebouthillier | Minister of National Revenue
• Karina Gould | Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development
• Mary Ng | Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
• Dan Vandal | Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
• Omar Alghabra | Minister of Transport

 

Notable Exits 

• Marc Garneau 
• Jim Carr
• Bardish Chagger

 

The Full Cabinet 

• Justin Trudeau | Prime Minister of Canada
• Chrystia Freeland | Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
• François-Philippe Champagne | Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
• Jean-Yves Duclos | Minister of Health
• David Lametti | Minister of Justice and Attorney General
• Bill Blair | Minister of Emergency Preparedness and President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada
• Harjit Sajjan | Minister of International Development and Minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency
• Marie-Claude Bibeau | Minister of Agriculture Agri-Food
• Seamus O’Regan | Minister of Labour
• Jonathan Wilkinson | Minister of Natural Resources
• Anita Anand | Minister of National Defence
• Filomena Tassi | Minister of Public Services and Procurement
• Carla Qualtrough | Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Disability Inclusion
• Patty Hajdu | Minister of Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
• Marco Mendicino | Minister of Public Safety
• Stephen Guilbeault | Minister of Environment and Climate Change
• Marc Miller | Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
• Carolyn Bennett | Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
• Ahmed Hussen | Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion
• Lawrence MacAulay | Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
• Diane Lebouthillier | Minister of National Revenue
• Karina Gould | Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development
• Mélanie Joly | Minister of Foreign Affairs
• Mona Fortier | President of the Treasury Board
• Mary Ng | Minister of International Trade, Export Promotion, Small Business and Economic Development
• Dan Vandal | Minister of Northern Affairs, Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
• Dominic Leblanc | Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities
• Joyce Murray | Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
• Pablo Rodriguez | Minister of Canadian Heritage and Quebec Lieutenant
• Omar Alghabra | Minister of Transport
• Randy Boissonnault | Minister of Tourism and Associate Minister of Finance
• Gudie Hutchings | Minister of Rural Economic Development
• Sean Fraser | Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
• Mark Holland | Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
• Marci Ien | Minister of Women, Gender Equality and Youth
• Kamal Khera | Minister of Seniors
• Helena Jaczek | Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
• Pascale St-Onge | Minister of Sport and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
• Ginette Petitpas Taylor | Minister of Official Languages and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

 

Authored by: John Delacourt, Daniel Komesch, Eric Dilliane, Laura Grosman and Jason Evans