Trudeau Cabinet Reshuffle: 8 New Ministers Sworn In
Ottawa MP David McGuinty, brother of former Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty, is the new Minister of Public Safety, replacing Dominic LeBlanc, who was sworn in as Finance Minister earlier this week.
McGuinty is the chair of Parliament's National Security and Intelligence Committee.
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Élisabeth Brière has become the new Minister of National Revenue, replacing Marie-Claude Bibeau.
Terry Duguid replaces Carla Qualtrough as Minister of Sports.
Toronto MP Nate Erskine-Smith, who has previously said he will not seek re-election, is the new Minister of Housing. He replaces Sean Fraser, the former housing minister, who announced on Monday that he was leaving the cabinet for family reasons.
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On Friday, Erskine-Smith said "this was not an easy decision", but after consulting with family and colleagues, she plans to run in the next election.
Darren Fisher is the new Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
Ruby Sahota will assume the dual role of Minister of Democratic Institutions and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.
The new Minister of the Elderly is Joanne Thompson. The email address you need for the latest news from Canada and around the world. Rachel Bendayan has been sworn in as Minister of Official Languages and Associate Minister of Public Safety.
Anita Anand, who will retain her role as Minister of Transport, will now also take on the role of Minister of Internal Trade.
Gary Anandasangaree, who is Minister of Crown and Indigenous Relations, will also take on the role of Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister responsible for the Northern Economic Development Agency of Canada.
Labour Minister Steven MacKinnon will now also be given the portfolio of Employment and Workforce Development. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, former Minister of Veterans Affairs, has been named chair of the Treasury Board, a position Anand previously held.
Friday's cabinet reshuffle comes after Chrystia Freeland, in a surprise announcement on Monday, resigned as finance minister on the same day she was due to deliver the fall economic statement.
In her letter to Trudeau, Freeland noted that in recent weeks she has found herself increasingly "at odds" with the prime minister.
The newly sworn-in ministers have their work cut out ahead of the arrival of the Trump administration. U.S. President-elect Donald Trump has threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all Canadian products unless Canada increases border security. The ministers presented a united front on Friday, reiterating the need for a "Team Canada approach."
"I've been thinking a lot this week about the events of the week and I've spoken to the prime minister on several occasions and I believe this is a time when we need to stand together," Anand told reporters.
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"If we don't all pull together in the same direction, the results won't be as strong as they otherwise would be."
Anandasangaree said there's "a lot of work to be done" to ensure Canada is ready before Trump takes office.
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Petitpas Taylor added that "we have to make sure we're putting our best foot forward" by wanting to work cooperatively with the new U.S. administration.
As the new public safety minister, McGuinty said it's his responsibility to work with the RCMP, the Canada Border Services Agency, the Correctional Service of Canada and the Canadian Security Intelligence Service, as well as his U.S. counterparts, to address Trump's concerns about the border. "I am confident that working together with my colleagues here and elsewhere, we will do this for Canadians. It is too important not to merge."
The House has adjourned, but a cabinet meeting will still be held on Friday afternoon.
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Questions are being asked about Trudeau's future, with his popularity falling in the polls and growing calls from members of his own party and the opposition for him to resign.
Bendyan told reporters on Friday that Trudeau was considering his options.
"Politics is a matter of choice. "Very often, these are tough choices. I think the prime minister has been very clear that he has an election in mind," he said.
Sahota said Trudeau had "our full support."
"He certainly showed a lot of confidence in us and that's why we're here today," he said.
According to an Ipsos poll conducted exclusively for Global News and released this week, Trudeau's personal popularity has fallen by five percentage points, with just 23 percent overall saying they think he deserves re-election and 77 percent saying they think it's time for a new party to take over.
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Meanwhile, support for the Liberals has also fallen by five points, to 21 percent, since September and is now tied with the New Democratic Party. NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said Friday that his party would present a "clear motion of no confidence" in the upcoming session of the House of Commons that could oust the Liberal government.
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