Cabinet reshuffle in Ottawa | Trudeau knocks out several of his ministers

(OTTAWA) Minister after minister bows out in Ottawa as part of a major reshuffle Justin Trudeau is about to announce. Ultimately, about a third of the departments could change hands. At least one Quebecer could get hit with the game of musical chairs: Justice Minister David Lametti, who would be cut out of the cabinet altogether, sources told Reuters. The Press.

The big names Chrystia Freeland in Finance, Mélanie Joly in Foreign Affairs, Steven Guilbeault in the Environment, François-Philippe Champagne in Industry and Jean-Yves Duclos in Health will certainly retain their responsibilities in the reshuffle that Justin Trudeau is concocting, and whose composition will be unveiled Wednesday at Rideau Hall.

This will not be the case for colleagues David Lametti, Carolyn Bennett, Omar Alghabra, Joyce Murray, Helena Jaczek, and potentially others, who are about to give up their place at the Cabinet table. This would make this reshuffling of the cards one of the most important done by Justin Trudeau since he came to power almost eight years ago.

The Prime Minister had summoned some of his ministers on Monday to inform them of the fate that awaited them. These meetings, which are still shrouded in the greatest secrecy, continue in Ottawa on Tuesday. At the end of the exercise, the face of the Cabinet will change significantly, and new recruits will appear, several sources in Ottawa have reported.

Those who leave

So far, no less than four ministers have announced that they have chosen, after long consideration, not to run for a new mandate at the next election. Unofficially, behind the scenes, we still do not hide that Justin Trudeau has embarked on an operation aimed at preparing a team ready to do battle in the next election.

It was Omar Alghabra who started the ball rolling on Tuesday. “After nearly 11 years as an MP, two and a half years as a minister, and six elections, I have made the difficult decision not to run for the next election,” said in a video the Minister of Transport, whose passage in this portfolio was not without turbulence.

“I am also stepping down from my role as minister, because the prime minister deserves a cabinet that is ready to embark on the next federal campaign,” added Mr. Alghabra. According to information obtained by The Presshe could make the jump to the municipal scene by running for mayor of Mississauga, if the current mayor Bonnie Crombie succeeds in taking the helm of the Liberal Party of Ontario.

The Toronto MP was not on the list of ministers who confirmed they intended to be on the starting line. His colleague from the Queen City, Carolyn Bennett, who had lost ground in the cabinet after the 2021 ballot, was included. The long-time elected official took the lead in saying Monday, on the sidelines of an announcement, that she had informed the Prime Minister of her decision to step down in the next election.

Same thing for Joyce Murray, also an experienced elected official in Ottawa, who was on the list of ministers wishing to run again under the Liberal banner. She also said it without hesitation to journalists a few weeks ago. Then, this: “After a long reflection, I have decided not to run for the next election,” tweeted the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard.

Ontario MP Helena Jaczek also tweeted that she would be stepping down. The Ministry of Public Services and Procurement, a demanding and complex portfolio, was not long in his hands. She will have spent less than a year in this position, which she inherited last August as part of a minor reshuffle.

These departures open up three positions in Greater Toronto, one in Vancouver and one in Montreal, therefore 5 out of a total of 38 ministers (39 including the Prime Minister). In the puzzle of the composition of Cabinet, regional representation is an important factor. Added to this is gender parity, which Justin Trudeau has scrupulously respected since 2015.

Those who want to stay

The Gaspé Minister Diane Lebouthillier, she intends to represent herself, it was confirmed in her entourage. At a press briefing in Gaspé on Monday, Mayor Daniel Côté said he wanted to keep an elected representative from the region at the cabinet table.

“It is the prime minister’s prerogative to choose his ministers, so I will respect that. […] That being said, I would obviously like the Prime Minister to keep M^me Lebouthillier at the Council of Ministers,” he said when he received a visit from Bloc leader Yves-François Blanchet.

“What signal would that send [sinon] ? It would send the signal that we are even further than far, ”he added.

We will finally know everything on Wednesday, when Justin Trudeau will go to Rideau Hall to have his ministers sworn in. They will then meet for a retreat, at the end of August, in Prince Edward Island, in view of the resumption of parliamentary work in Ottawa.