Hello,
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled a major shakeup to his cabinet that includes seven new ministers and a slew of changes to key portfolios as the Liberal government revamped its front bench ahead of the next federal election.
Mr. Trudeau on Wednesday shuffled his 38-member cabinet at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, most of whom are now either new ministers or in different roles, in a bid to retool the government’s focus on economic issues and in particular, housing. Only eight members of cabinet are keeping their current jobs.
The cabinet shuffle involves 23 changes and seven MPs brought to the front bench for their first time. The cabinet is split evenly between men and women, keeping Mr. Trudeau’s pledge for a gender-balanced cabinet.
Queen’s Park Reporter Laura Stone and Parliamentary Reporter Kristy Kirkup report here.
Highlight changes include:
Anita Anand, moving from Defence to President of Treasury Board.
Terry Beech, the Vancouver-area MP, joins cabinet as Minister of Citizens’ Services.
Bill Blair moving from Emergency Preparedness and President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, to Minister of Defence.
Jean Yves-Duclos moving from Health to Public Services and Procurement.
Sean Fraser moving from Immigration to Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
Mark Holland moving from Government House Leader in the Commons to Health.
Dominic LeBlanc is the new Minister of Public Safety and Democratic Institutions, replacing Marco Mendicino. Mr. LeBlanc continues to hold onto his position as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs.
Marc Miller moves from Crown-Indigenous Relations to Immigration.
Pablo Rodriguez moves from Heritage to Transport. Pascal St-Onge, the former Sport Minister, will replace Mr. Rodriguez in Heritage.
Harjit Sajjan is the new President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness. He is also Minister for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada.
Ya’ara Saks, a Toronto MP, becomes the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions, replacing Carolyn Bennett.
Arif Virani, a Toronto MP who has been the parliamentary secretary to the international trade minister, is the new Justice Minister and Attorney-General of Canada.
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TODAY'S HEADLINES
Bank of Canada debated whether to hike rates in July, amid uncertainty about monetary-policy impact - Faced with uncertainty about the strength of monetary policy, the Bank of Canada’s governing council debated whether to raise interest rates at its July rate announcement – ultimately deciding to move again as a kind of insurance against sticky inflation. Story here.
Higher interest rates and an affordability crisis looming: TD report - If Canada’s population boom continues at its current frantic pace, interest rates will face upward pressure and the massive influx of people will significantly worsen affordability for homebuyers and renters, a new report from TD Bank warns. Story here.
Former RCMP officer charged in China foreign interference case granted bail - William Majcher, the retired RCMP officer charged with conducting foreign interference on behalf of China, has been granted bail on conditions that include not communicating with another former Mountie with whom he is alleged to have conspired. Story here.
Ottawa warns Alberta clinic will violate medicare by charging for faster doctor access - Health Canada says a Calgary medical clinic that soon plans to charge its patients a fee to gain faster access to a family doctor would be breaching medicare laws. Story here.
Foreign interference: CSIS told B.C. Premier it can’t share intelligence, documents show - Canada’s intelligence service told B.C. Premier David Eby during a briefing on Chinese foreign interference in March that it could not share secret information, according to notes of the meeting obtained by Global News. Story here.
Muslim group, imam say sentencing of man who attacked worshippers not enough - Advocates say that Canada’s Muslim community is disappointed that a man who assaulted worshippers at a Mississauga, Ont., mosque last year with bear spray and while brandishing a hatchet has received only an eight-year sentence. Story here.
Federal employees question how disastrous Regina rebrand was approved - Federal government employees expressed relief that Prairies Economic Development Canada was not involved in a disastrous rebrand that saw Saskatchewan’s capital city criticized for sexualized slogans. Story here.
THIS AND THAT
Summer Break – Both Parliament and the Senate are on breaks. The House of Commons sits again on Sept. 18. The Senate is sitting again on Sept. 19.
Deputy Prime Minister’s Day - Chrystia Freeland, in Ottawa, held private meetings, joined Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for a swearing-in ceremony of members of the new cabinet, attended Mr. Trudeau’s news conference and took media questions and attended an afternoon cabinet meeting.
Ministers on the Road - All of the ministers are being sworn in in Ottawa during a cabinet shuffle.
Gould expecting - Burlington MP Karina Gould, who has been Families Minister but was named Government Leader in the House of Commons in Wednesday’s cabinet shuffle, says here that she is expecting a child in January, 2024.
PRIME MINISTER'S DAY
The Prime Minister, in Ottawa, held private meetings and participated in a swearing-in ceremony of the new cabinet at Rideau Hall. Mr. Trudeau then held a news conference. Later in the afternoon, Mr. Trudeau was scheduled to hold a cabinet meeting.
LEADERS
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, in Timmins, Ont., held a news conference, and was later scheduled to hold a rally in Kapuskasing.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh, in Yellowknife, held a roundtable on housing, took media questions and was scheduled to hold a meet-and-greet event.
No schedules released for other party leaders.
THE DECIBEL
On Wednesday’s edition of The Globe and Mail podcast, The Globe’s Deputy Arts Editor and Film Editor, Barry Hertz explains how the movie Sound of Freedom has become a box-office hit, making US$125-million, despite being a low-budget film from an indie studio. Critics say the movie (about a former government agent’s pursuit to take down child-sex traffickers) is QAnon-adjacent and is stoking political conspiracy theories. The Decibel is here.
PUBLIC OPINION
Federal parties vying for support - As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau substantially shuffles his cabinet, Abacus Data is out with a new poll here that finds the Conservatives have opened up a 10-point lead in public support over the Liberals – 38 per cent to 28 per cent – with the NDP in third at 18 per cent.
OPINION
The Globe and Mail Editorial Board on nuclear and the cost of clean power: “Here are five words you almost never hear in the business of nuclear power: on time and on budget. The rare words can be said at the Darlington Nuclear Generating Station, near Toronto, which is undergoing a $12.8-billion refurbishment. The station’s four reactors started pumping out power in the early 1990s and generate about a fifth of the province’s electricity. During its construction, Darlington also pumped out billions of dollars in debt, some of it still on the province’s books decades later. But these days, in a refurbishment to extend the station’s operations by 30 years, the typical capital cost overruns and long delays have been avoided, with about half the overhaul complete.”
Konrad Yakabuski (The Globe and Mail) on Ottawa finally thinking big on high-frequency rail in Quebec City-Toronto corridor: “Ottawa finally seems serious about modernizing passenger-rail service in the Quebec City-Toronto corridor, with plans to introduce faster trains on dedicated tracks advancing to the request-for-proposals stage of Canada’s biggest transportation megaproject in decades. The federal government last week selected three consortiums to submit proposals to build and operate a high-frequency rail network that would slash travel times in the Montreal-Ottawa-Toronto triangle by as much as a third. A winning bid will be chosen in mid-2024. What’s not to like? After decades of false starts and shelved high-speed-rail feasibility studies, procrastination appears to have finally given way to determination amid the pressures of climate change and the continued service deterioration on Via Rail.”
Ralph Torrie (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on how the Ford government’s nuclear push is a costly déjà vu for Ontario’s power sector: “History continues to outrun electricity planning in Ontario, as it has been doing for decades now, and we all pay for the overshoots and malinvestment that result. We cannot afford another round of ill-conceived commitments to multibillion-dollar megaprojects that will be left half-built and stranded just as technology, market forces and common sense are converging on a smarter, less expensive, more distributed and renewable-based energy system. One our grandchildren can feel good about.”
Deborah Yedlin (Contributed to The Globe and Mail) on billions given to Volkswagen and Stellantis – what about oil and gas’s carbon initiatives?: “The companies involved in developing Alberta’s carbon-capture projects, which are more advanced than Volkswagen’s EV battery plant, are still waiting for clarity on the implementation of the investment tax credit that has been promised by the federal government in the past three federal budgets; details on the carbon contracts for differences program announced by Ottawa; and what the Alberta government is prepared to offer in terms of support.”
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Ian Bailey