SHUFFLE MEANS FIRST FEMALE HOUSE LEADER
Post has proven challenging for Liberals
Bardish Chagger’s promotion in cabinet sees her become the country’s first female government House leader in the Commons and take on a position that has proven challenging for the Liberals in the early months of Justin Trudeau’s government.
Chagger, the rookie MP for Waterloo and also minister of small business and tourism, assumes the additional duties of leader of the government in the House of Commons from Dominic LeBlanc, who has drawn some criticism for his handling of the role.
Trudeau announced the mini-cabinet shuffle on Friday afternoon and Chagger was sworn in at Rideau Hall for her new duties.
The mini-shuffle was triggered because Hunter Tootoo resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus in late May for what he said at the time was treatment for “addiction issues.”
LeBlanc then took on the extra job of minister of fisheries and oceans, a role he will retain. LeBlanc will also “assume additional responsibilities in the coming days,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a release, without elaborating.
Earlier this month, Tootoo admitted he engaged in a “consensual but inappropriate relationship” in the workplace that led him to step down from cabinet and caucus.
The mini-shuffle came just a day before Trudeau and his ministers head to Sudbury, Ont., for a cabinet retreat that starts on Saturday.
It’s rare for a rookie MP to step into the role of government House leader. She’ll be busy shepherding government legislation, helping direct traffic in question period and deflecting opposition party attacks.
In her first appearance as the House leader, Chagger seemed excited, repeating her commitments to open government and transparency but offering few answers on what she would specifically bring to the role.
“I look forward to working with all parliamentarians to discuss ways that we can work together,” she told reporters outside the House.
Asked about her experience and why she thought the prime minister selected her, she said, “I’ve been involved in the political process for basically my whole life. I know what democracy should look like.”
She thanked LeBlanc for his leadership and guidance, but wouldn’t say whether she’d use the same heel-digging style that he sometimes did in trying to push through the government agenda.
Chagger, 36, was first elected to the Commons in the fall 2015 federal election, but has been around politics for many years. She was executive assistant to former Kitchener-Waterloo Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi.
Prior to being elected to the Commons, she most recently served as a special projects coordinator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre.
Along with becoming the first woman to be sworn in as government House leader, she is also one of the youngest to hold a post that is crucial to the smooth functioning of government.
She brings a softer touch to the job than the fiery LeBlanc, who regularly got into verbal sparring matches with opposition House leaders.
Perceptions of LeBlanc’s performance as House leader had wobbled this spring during a week of procedural wrangling that was ultimately overshadowed by the prime minister’s elbow.
I’VE BEEN INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL PROCESS FOR BASICALLY MY WHOLE LIFE.