'I understand there's going to be a short runway,' new minister says after Trudeau shuffles cabinet
CTV
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added eight Liberal MPs to his front bench and reassigned four ministers in a cabinet shuffle in Ottawa on Friday, but as soon as they were sworn-in, they faced questions about the political future of their government, and their leader.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau added eight Liberal MPs to his front bench and reassigned four ministers in a cabinet shuffle in Ottawa on Friday. But as soon as they were sworn-in, they faced questions about the political future of their government, and their leader.
Making several changes to his ministerial roster now comes after a tumultuous week for the federal Liberals, and was framed as a bid to inject some stability, exactly one month before U.S. president-elect Donald Trump takes office.
Though, before the ceremony even got underway, Trudeau was dealt a major blow to the last remaining pillar of parliamentary support his embattled minority was relying on to stay in power. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh dropped a letter declaring his party will be moving a motion of non-confidence in the new year. Following Singh's letter, Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre announced that he will submit a letter to Gov. Gen. Mary Simon asking to recall the House for a confidence vote.
Trudeau attended the ceremony, presided over by the Governor General in the ballroom at Rideau Hall. It was his first public appearance since facing fresh calls to resign.
Here's who's in, and who is being handed new responsibilities.
Ontario MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith becomes Canada's next housing, infrastructure and communities minister, taking over for Sean Fraser, who announced on Monday that he wouldn't be running again.
And, taking over the public safety portfolio from Finance and Intergovernmental Affairs Minister Dominic LeBlanc – who took on the top economic post on Monday after Chrystia Freeland's stunning resignation – is Ontario MP and current chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) David McGuinty.
