Trudeau expands cabinet, promotes seven rookies and shakes up existing ministers

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled a reconfigured cabinet that has been expanded with the intent of addressing pressing issues raised during last month’s federal election. With additional emphasis on middle class and regional prosperity and a new approach to representation, a dozen current ministers are taking on new portfolios and seven rookies are now in cabinet, two of whom were elected for the first time in 2019. “I’m very excited today to be able to get down to work the way Canadians asked us to in this last election. To pull together the country, focus on issues of economic growth for the middle class, to fight climate change, and to keep Canadians and their communities safe. That is our focus, and this is the team to do that,” Trudeau said during a postceremony media availability. Trudeau has reshaped the lineup of ministries, with several new titles, and consolidations of some cabinet responsibilities. The majority of the 37-member cabinet are MPs from Ontario and Quebec, four from British Columbia, one from Manitoba, and one from each of the Atlantic provinces. Gender balance has been maintained, a standard Trudeau set when his first cabinet was sworn-in in 2015. On their way inside, several ministers expressed their optimism about the next chapter for the Liberal government and the new challenges their roles will bring. The full lineup of the 29th federal ministry was announced at a Rideau Hall swearing-in ceremony overseen by Gov. Gen. Julie Payette. The group will hold their first cabinet meeting in Ottawa on Thursday afternoon. Notably, Trudeau has named Chrystia Freeland to be his deputy prime minister, the first time someone has held that role in cabinet since 2006. “I see it very much being a Freeland-ish role,” Trudeau said when asked about the expectations of the title. “Chrystia and I have worked very closely on some of the biggest files facing Canada… And our ability to work together on these issues that, quite frankly, touch on national unity, touch on energy and the environment, touch relations with all provinces in all regions of this country, is going to be an extremely important thing at a time where we see some very different perspectives across the country that need to be brought together,” Trudeau said. Born in Alberta, Freeland is also taking on the intergovernmental affairs role, putting her at the helm of tackling the regional divide that the fall federal election exposed, with the Liberals being shut out of Saskatchewan and Alberta, where alienation sentiment is on the rise. She’s now the point person on addressing the tensions between the provinces and the federal government, that some say were aggravated during the election campaign when Trudeau framed his party as the antidote to leaders like Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and Ontario Premier Doug Ford.