(Ottawa) Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is preparing a major cabinet reshuffle: almost a third of the ministries could change hands. The current Minister of Justice, David Lametti, could bail out in this game of musical chairs. Sources told The Press that he would be kicked out of the cabinet altogether.
The big names Chrystia Freeland, Mélanie Joly, Steven Guilbeault and François-Philippe Champagne will keep their portfolios in the reshuffle concocted by Justin Trudeau.
Overall, the face of the Council of Ministers, whose composition will be unveiled on Wednesday, should however change considerably. This reshuffling of cards comes at the right time for a government that is faltering, according to experts.
The Prime Minister summoned some of his ministers on Monday to inform them of the fate that awaits them. These “private meetings”, as identified in his itinerary, will continue in Ottawa on Tuesday, according to our information. And at the end of the exercise, ministers currently in office will be dismissed from the cabinet.
Omar Alghabra gives up his place
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, whose time in this portfolio has not been without turbulence, meanwhile announced on Tuesday that he would not seek a new mandate.
PHOTO CHRISTINNE MUSCHI, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Omar Alghabra
“After almost 11 years as a deputy, two and a half years as a minister and six elections, I have made the difficult decision not to stand in the next election,” he said in a video posted on social networks.
“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, who will however remain in office as MP for Mississauga Centre.
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 longtime elected official seemed to want to take the lead in saying Monday, on the sidelines of an announcement, that she had informed the Prime Minister of her decision to withdraw from the political arena at the next election.
As for Minister Diane Lebouthillier, she will run again, it was confirmed in her entourage. At a press briefing in Gaspé on Monday, Mayor Daniel Côté said he wanted to have an elected representative from the region at the cabinet table.
Lightning passage for Helena Jaczek
The Ministry of Public Services and Supply, a demanding and complex portfolio, was not long in the hands of Ontario MP Helena Jaczek, according to information reported by the CBC network.
Because according to the broadcaster, the one who was also a minister at Queen’s Park will not seek a new mandate. She will have spent less than a year in this position, which she inherited last August as part of a minor reshuffle.