Mark Carney, Canada’s newly elected prime minister, has brought many new faces into his cabinet and dismissed several veterans. He announced the creation of a team that will be tasked with proposing new ideas and taking “decisive action” on key issues such as trade, crime and the cost of living.
The new cabinet includes 28 ministers and 10 secretaries of state. The latter will not head federal departments or attend all cabinet meetings. Instead, they will be assigned specific priority tasks, including defence procurement, support for seniors and fighting crime.
Anita Anand takes over as foreign minister, replacing Melanie Joly, in the first reshuffle of Carney’s cabinet since last month’s federal election.
Joly was among those who joined Carney on his recent trip to Washington, D.C., to meet with President Donald Trump. She has been moved to the position of Minister of Industry and Minister responsible for Canada’s economic development in the Quebec region.
Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne also participated in the trip but remained in his position, adding the role of Minister of National Revenue to his responsibilities.
Another participant in the trip, Dominic LeBlanc, retains his roles in intergovernmental affairs but is also listed as minister responsible for the “economy of a united Canada” and will be responsible for trade between Canada and the US, likely playing a key role in negotiations with the Trump administration. He will also serve as President of the Privy Council of Canada.
Sean Fraser, former housing minister under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who resigned and said he would not run again before changing his mind, has returned to a front-line position as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada.
Former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson is joining the cabinet as Minister of Housing.
Another senior member of the new parliament, Tim Hodgson, becomes Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. The MP for Markham-Thornhill is a former head of Goldman Sachs’ Canadian division and former chairman of the board of directors of Hydro One. He also served as an advisor to Carney at the Bank of Canada.
In Quebec, new MP Mandy Gull-Masty, former head of the Grand Council of the Crees, will take over as Minister of Indigenous Affairs. She will replace Patty Hajdu, who will become Minister of Employment and Families.
Gull-Masti will be assisted on Indigenous issues by another new face in Parliament, Rebecca Alty. She is now Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations. Alty is a representative of the Northwest Territories and a former mayor of Yellowknife.
