Justin Trudeau to shuffle his cabinet ahead of Trump presidency, election year

By Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press on December 20, 2024.

OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet later this morning at Rideau Hall to shore up his beleaguered government.

His Liberals are reeling from the surprise loss of Chrystia Freeland as finance minister earlier this week.

That move sparked renewed calls for Trudeau to step down for the good of his party.

Trudeau is expected to replace ministers who aren’t running again and fill the gaps since some ministers are currently doubled up on roles after others suddenly left cabinet.

This may be Trudeau’s last major overhaul of his cabinet before the next election, expected to be called by fall 2025 at the latest.

But putting fresh faces on his front bench in the House of Commons could just as easily backfire, if it upsets too many hopeful MPs seeking promotions.

With an election just around the corner next year, anyone in his caucus still undecided on their political futures will soon be forced to make a final decision if they will run again.

The Canadian Press has confirmed from a source with knowledge of the appointments that Montreal MP Rachel Bendayan, Winnipeg MP Terry Duguid, Toronto MP Nate Erskine-Smith, Ottawa MP David McGuinty, and Nova Scotia MP Darren Fisher will all be named to cabinet.

Trudeau must weigh regional representation, gender balance and electoral prospects when he chooses who to elevate today, among other factors in his political calculus.

The move comes a month ahead of the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, giving new ministers just a few short weeks to learn their departments inside out.

Trudeau said earlier this year that he has been courting former central banker Mark Carney to join his government in a top role and tapped him as a special economic adviser to the Liberal party.

But newly minted Finance Minister Dominic LeBlanc ruled out the idea of Carney becoming finance minister this week, saying Trudeau told him the job is his for keeps.

Trudeau is expected to appoint a new public safety minister to replace LeBlanc, who is currently straddling three major files. Public Safety is in charge of border security — an issue Trump has targeted with his threat of 25 per cent tariffs against Canadian goods.

Cabinet ministers Anita Anand and Ginette Petitpas Taylor are each juggling two departments, after Pablo Rodriguez and Randy Boissonnault left cabinet.

Rodriguez resigned from his cabinet position and left caucus to pursue the provincial Liberal leadership in Quebec, while Boissonneault left his role when he became engulfed in a scandal stoked by the Conservatives that stems from his business dealings and claims of Indigenous ancestry.

A cabinet shuffle has been expected for months after several ministers said they won’t seek re-election next year.

As many as five cabinet ministers will not run again in recent months. Those include Housing Minister Sean Fraser, National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude-Bibeau, Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal and Southern Ontario Economic Development Minister Filomena Tassi.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 20, 2024.

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