Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce the cabinet team he’s taking into the next election following a cabinet shuffle taking place later this morning.
Here’s what we know so far about what’s happening at Rideau Hall today.
Who is out?
Senior government sources say at least seven ministers are leaving the front benches.
Four of those are MPs who have announced they will not be running in the next federal election: Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett (all from the Greater Toronto Area) and Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, of the Vancouver Quadra riding.
Sources with knowledge of the shuffle who were not authorized to speak publicly about it said the other three are Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, Justice Minister David Lametti and President of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier.
Rumours about Mendicino being dropped from cabinet have been circulating in the wake of multiple controversies involving his department — including the government’s poorly-received gun control legislation and lingering questions about the foreign interference file.
More recently, the Eglinton–Lawrence MP has been under intense pressure over the decision to transfer serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
Mendicino put out a statement on Wednesday morning, confirming his departure from cabinet.
“It has been an honour to serve Canadians as a minister for nearly four years,” he said, adding that he intends to continue serving as an MP for the remainder of this mandate and into the next election.
Who is in?
While the full cabinet list will become public in a few hours, sources have told Radio-Canada most portfolios will be affected by the shuffle.
It’s anticipated that about seven fresh faces will be promoted to cabinet.
Ottawa-area MP Jenna Sudds, who represents, Kanata—Carleton, Ya’ara Saks of York Centre and Terry Beech of Burnaby North—Seymour were seen walking into Rideau Hall Wednesday morning.
Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, will be the minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions, according to Radio-Canada.
Martinez Ferrada, first elected in 2019, was most recently the parliamentary secretary to the housing minister.
Defence Minister Anita Anand will be moving to an economic portfolio in Wednesday’s shuffle, CBC News has learned — meaning a new face will take on Canada’s response to the war in Ukraine.
Bill Blair, who most recently served as minister of emergency preparedness, will be the new minister of national defence, sources told CBC News and Radio-Canada.
Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez and Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge are also on the move, sources told Radio-Canada. Rodriguez is moving to Transport and St-Onge is moving to Heritage.
Sources have said Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will keep her position.
According to Radio-Canada, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault are also staying put.
Why now?
Trudeau’s goal is to put the emphasis back on the government’s economic priorities, sources said. They told CBC News the shuffle will involve a restructuring of departments to put a greater focus on the housing crisis.
The government also wants to put key communicators on important files and shore up the cabinet ahead of the next election campaign, the sources said.
While the Liberals have a confidence-and-supply agreement that allows them to govern with NDP support until 2025, either party could pull out before the deal expires.
When is this happening?
CBC News will carry a live special, beginning at 9 a.m. ET.
The swearing-in ceremony is set to begin at Rideau Hall at 10:30 a.m. ET. Trudeau and his ministers are expected to take questions from the media at 12:15 p.m. ET.
The prime minister will chair the first meeting of his newly shuffled cabinet at 4 p.m. ET.
