PM Trudeau names new ministers to several key files in sizable cabinet shakeup

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has considerably shaken up his cabinet roster, naming new ministers to key portfolios including defence, health, foreign affairs, and environment, while adding in a handful of rookies as he forges ahead with a third mandate. Gender parity has been restored, there is new emphasis on regional development agencies. Overall there are 39 members of the new cabinet.

The 39-member cabinet was unveiled Tuesday at a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa. The prime minister’s new front bench maintains gender parity and includes a new emphasis on regional development agencies.

There are several new cabinet roles, while many other positions have been revamped to include new or different elements, with just seven ministers holding on to the same title and role they had before the ceremony.

“We have a team of familiar faces and new faces that are ready to put all their strengths, all their hard work towards delivering for Canadians in the coming years,” Trudeau told reporters Tuesday afternoon.

Addressing the sizeable renovation of his cabinet, Trudeau said it stems from the 2021 federal election outcome that saw Canadians opt to send back largely the same seat allocation as there was previously.