The federal cabinet stands behind Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as he speaks at a news conference after a swearing in ceremony, in Ottawa, on Tuesday, Oct. 26, 2021. The Prime Minister is expected to announce new cabinet appointments Wednesday after four federal ministers announced they would not be seeking re-election, on July 24 and 25, 2023.Justin Tang/The Canadian Press
At least seven ministers are expected to be moved out of cabinet portfolios and new faces will be brought on board, with Defence Minister Anita Anand moving into an economic portfolio, in a significant shuffle to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s front bench.
Mr. Trudeau is set to unveil the cabinet makeover on Wednesday at Rideau Hall, just shy of two years since the last federal election and after a challenging spring sitting of the House of Commons.
The shuffle is seen by political insiders as a much-needed refresh for the Liberals who have been facing challenges and political pressure from Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives. While considerable changes are expected to be made, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, who is also Deputy Prime Minister, is expected to stay in her role.
According to a Liberal government source, the seven ministers confirmed to be leaving cabinet are David Lametti, Marco Mendicino and Mona Fortier, along with four other ministers who have said they are not running in the next election: Joyce Murray, Omar Alghabra, Helena Jaczek and Carolyn Bennett. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source as they are not authorized to speak publicly about internal deliberations.
The source also said Ms. Anand, seen to be one of the government’s strongest performers, will move into an economic portfolio. Pablo Rodriguez, currently Heritage Minister, will be taking over the transport file, while Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge will move into heritage, according to the source.
On Tuesday, three of the cabinet ministers – Ms. Murray, Mr. Alghabra and Ms. Jaczek – publicly announced they would not be seeking re-election. On Monday, Ms. Bennett, a long-time Liberal stalwart, announced her decision to not run again.
A second senior government official confirmed Wednesday’s shuffle. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the official as they are not authorized to speak publicly.
The official said that governments face moments when adjustments need to be made and when new people are tapped on the shoulder to step up, while experienced hands take on new portfolios.
The team will be tasked with immediately getting to work, the official added, noting that for the next two years of its mandate, the government will look at Canada’s position in the global economy and supporting Canadians during this time. The economic team will focus on housing and affordability and policies that help Canada build a stronger, cleaner economy, the official said.
Mr. Mendicino, the Public Safety Minister and a Toronto MP, has been under fire since it was revealed last month that notorious serial killer Paul Bernardo was transferred from a maximum-security to a medium-security institution, sparking outrage from his victims’ families. Mr. Mendicino has been unable to explain why staff in his office did not inform him about the transfer, despite them knowing about it three months before it happened.
Mr. Lametti, the Justice Minister, has also faced scrutiny over the delay in appointing judges. He was also accused of intimidating a Conservative MP after sending an e-mail that seemed to threaten the MP’s reputation in the legal community.
Ms. Fortier, an Ottawa-area MP, was recently involved in acrimonious negotiations with the striking federal public service union.
Ms. Murray, who represents the British Columbia riding of Vancouver Quadra, said Tuesday that her decision not to run came after much thought and reflection. She holds the fisheries portfolio in cabinet and was first elected as an MP in 2008. She previously served as digital government minister and as president of the Treasury Board.
“I have decided not to run again in the next election after my current term,” Ms. Murray said in a statement. “My work in politics and time serving my community both federally and provincially as an elected official has been the honour of my life, and I would like to thank all who made that possible.”
Ms. Murray was also a provincial cabinet minister in British Columbia and challenged Mr. Trudeau for the leadership of the federal Liberals, placing second in the race that he won.
Mr. Alghabra, who represents the Toronto-area riding of Mississauga Centre, also announced he would not be running in the next election and is leaving cabinet. In a video posted to Twitter, Mr. Alghabra said after 11 years as a member of Parliament, 2½ of them as a minister, and six elections, “I’ve made the difficult decision to not run in the next election.”
Until then, he will continue to serve as MP for Mississauga Centre, he said.
“As a result of this decision, I’m also stepping aside from my role as minister because the Prime Minister deserves a cabinet who is committed to running in the next federal campaign,” Mr. Alghabra said. “This was not an easy decision to make. It’s always tricky to figure out the best timing for such a step, but I feel it’s the right time for me.”
As Minister of Transport since January, 2021, Mr. Alghabra oversaw the transportation industry during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was responsible for the file when airports faced numerous flight delays and cancellations last summer, as air travel surged while airlines experienced significant staffing shortages.
He also faced criticism for his handling of a train delay last December, when a Christmas storm left hundreds of passengers stranded on a VIA rail train for 18 hours near Cobourg, Ont.
Mr. Alghabra was also minister when the government rewrote the rules on how airlines must treat passengers, making it harder to dodge responsibility when flights are cancelled or delayed and raising the fines for those who violate the regulations.
Ms. Jaczek, the minister for Public Services and Procurement who represents the riding of Markham-Stouffville, also said Tuesday she will not run again.
“After 50 years of public service as a family doctor, Regional Medical Of Health and Commissioner of Health Services, Member of Provincial Parliament, and now Member of Parliament for Markham-Stouffville, I have decided that I will not seek re-election after my current term,” she posted on Twitter.
“I want to thank the Prime Minister for entrusting me with two Cabinet portfolios as well as including me on numerous Cabinet Committees as we debated the important issues facing Canadians.”
The increase in spending on government outsourcing has been a top issue during Ms. Jaczek’s tenure. The Globe and Mail reported last November that Ottawa’s annual spending on outsourcing climbed by 74 per cent since 2015.
Total spending on outsourcing, which is officially described as professional and special services, reached $14.6-billion in the 2021-22 fiscal year, according to the most recent data available.
The Globe’s reporting on federal outsourcing has led to numerous House of Commons committee studies into the matter. Members of Parliament have called federal ministers, senior public servants and academics to appear as witnesses to offer their assessments of why the spending has increased.
Government officials have generally said that that outsourcing allows them to quickly address their short-term needs, especially in fields such as IT where workers are in high demand. But some experts, including Parliamentary Budget Officer Yves Giroux, have said the government needs to better explain why outsourcing is increasing at the same time as the number of public servants is on the rise.
Robert Asselin, a senior vice president at the Business Council of Canada who specializes in economic policy and previously served as an adviser to Prime Ministers Martin and Trudeau, said the economy remains the top priority now for almost all Canadians as they face a very difficult period of high inflation and very slow growth.
He said that more than changes in portfolios, he will be looking for a “change of direction” and a signal from the government that it grasps the importance of long-term growth and the need to shift toward an intentional, long-term plan for growing the economy.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says it’s “disgraceful and demeaning” that a Halifax-area school would request that service members not wear military uniforms to its Remembrance Day ceremony.
Houston’s comments were part of a chorus of criticism levelled at the school — Sackville Heights Elementary — whose administration decided to back away from the plan after the outcry.
A November newsletter from the school in Middle Sackville, N.S., invited Armed Forces members to attend its ceremony but asked that all attendees arrive in civilian attire to “maintain a welcoming environment for all.”
Houston, who is currently running for re-election, accused the school’s leaders of “disgracing themselves while demeaning the people who protect our country” in a post on the social media platform X Thursday night.
“If the people behind this decision had a shred of the courage that our veterans have, this cowardly and insulting idea would have been rejected immediately,” Houston’s post read. There were also several calls for resignations within the school’s administration attached to Houston’s post.
In an email to families Thursday night, the school’s principal, Rachael Webster, apologized and welcomed military family members to attend “in the attire that makes them most comfortable.”
“I recognize this request has caused harm and I am deeply sorry,” Webster’s email read, adding later that the school has the “utmost respect for what the uniform represents.”
Webster said the initial request was out of concern for some students who come from countries experiencing conflict and who she said expressed discomfort with images of war, including military uniforms.
Her email said any students who have concerns about seeing Armed Forces members in uniform can be accommodated in a way that makes them feel safe, but she provided no further details in the message.
Webster did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
At a news conference Friday, Houston said he’s glad the initial request was reversed but said he is still concerned.
“I can’t actually fathom how a decision like that was made,” Houston told reporters Friday, adding that he grew up moving between military bases around the country while his father was in the Armed Forces.
“My story of growing up in a military family is not unique in our province. The tradition of service is something so many of us share,” he said.
“Saying ‘lest we forget’ is a solemn promise to the fallen. It’s our commitment to those that continue to serve and our commitment that we will pass on our respects to the next generation.”
Liberal Leader Zach Churchill also said he’s happy with the school’s decision to allow uniformed Armed Forces members to attend the ceremony, but he said he didn’t think it was fair to question the intentions of those behind the original decision.
“We need to have them (uniforms) on display at Remembrance Day,” he said. “Not only are we celebrating (veterans) … we’re also commemorating our dead who gave the greatest sacrifice for our country and for the freedoms we have.”
NDP Leader Claudia Chender said that while Remembrance Day is an important occasion to honour veterans and current service members’ sacrifices, she said she hopes Houston wasn’t taking advantage of the decision to “play politics with this solemn occasion for his own political gain.”
“I hope Tim Houston reached out to the principal of the school before making a public statement,” she said in a statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
REGINA – Saskatchewan Opposition NDP Leader Carla Beck says she wants to prove to residents her party is the government in waiting as she heads into the incoming legislative session.
Beck held her first caucus meeting with 27 members, nearly double than what she had before the Oct. 28 election but short of the 31 required to form a majority in the 61-seat legislature.
She says her priorities will be health care and cost-of-living issues.
Beck says people need affordability help right now and will press Premier Scott Moe’s Saskatchewan Party government to cut the gas tax and the provincial sales tax on children’s clothing and some grocery items.
Beck’s NDP is Saskatchewan’s largest Opposition in nearly two decades after sweeping Regina and winning all but one seat in Saskatoon.
The Saskatchewan Party won 34 seats, retaining its hold on all of the rural ridings and smaller cities.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.
HALIFAX – Nova Scotia‘s growing population was the subject of debate on Day 12 of the provincial election campaign, with Liberal Leader Zach Churchill arguing immigration levels must be reduced until the province can provide enough housing and health-care services.
Churchill said Thursday a plan by the incumbent Progressive Conservatives to double the province’s population to two million people by the year 2060 is unrealistic and unsustainable.
“That’s a big leap and it’s making life harder for people who live here, (including ) young people looking for a place to live and seniors looking to downsize,” he told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
Anticipating that his call for less immigration might provoke protests from the immigrant community, Churchill was careful to note that he is among the third generation of a family that moved to Nova Scotia from Lebanon.
“I know the value of immigration, the importance of it to our province. We have been built on the backs of an immigrant population. But we just need to do it in a responsible way.”
The Liberal leader said Tim Houston’s Tories, who are seeking a second term in office, have made a mistake by exceeding immigration targets set by the province’s Department of Labour and Immigration. Churchill said a Liberal government would abide by the department’s targets.
In the most recent fiscal year, the government welcomed almost 12,000 immigrants through its nominee program, exceeding the department’s limit by more than 4,000, he said. The numbers aren’t huge, but the increase won’t help ease the province’s shortages in housing and doctors, and the increased strain on its infrastructure, including roads, schools and cellphone networks, Churchill said.
“(The Immigration Department) has done the hard work on this,” he said. “They know where the labour gaps are, and they know what growth is sustainable.”
In response, Houston said his commitment to double the population was a “stretch goal.” And he said the province had long struggled with a declining population before that trend was recently reversed.
“The only immigration that can come into this province at this time is if they are a skilled trade worker or a health-care worker,” Houston said. “The population has grown by two per cent a year, actually quite similar growth to what we experienced under the Liberal government before us.”
Still, Houston said he’s heard Nova Scotians’ concerns about population growth, and he then pivoted to criticize Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for trying to send 6,000 asylum seekers to Nova Scotia, an assertion the federal government has denied.
Churchill said Houston’s claim about asylum seekers was shameful.
“It’s smoke and mirrors,” the Liberal leader said. “He is overshooting his own department’s numbers for sustainable population growth and yet he is trying to blame this on asylum seekers … who aren’t even here.”
In September, federal Immigration Minister Marc Miller said there is no plan to send any asylum seekers to the province without compensation or the consent of the premier. He said the 6,000 number was an “aspirational” figure based on models that reflect each province’s population.
In Halifax, NDP Leader Claudia Chender said it’s clear Nova Scotia needs more doctors, nurses and skilled trades people.
“Immigration has been and always will be a part of the Nova Scotia story, but we need to build as we grow,” Chender said. “This is why we have been pushing the Houston government to build more affordable housing.”
Chender was in a Halifax cafe on Thursday when she promised her party would remove the province’s portion of the harmonized sales tax from all grocery, cellphone and internet bills if elected to govern on Nov. 26. The tax would also be removed from the sale and installation of heat pumps.
“Our focus is on helping people to afford their lives,” Chender told reporters. “We know there are certain things that you can’t live without: food, internet and a phone …. So we know this will have the single biggest impact.”
The party estimates the measure would save the average Nova Scotia family about $1,300 a year.
“That’s a lot more than a one or two per cent HST cut,” Chender said, referring to the Progressive Conservative pledge to reduce the tax by one percentage point and the Liberal promise to trim it by two percentage points.
Elsewhere on the campaign trail, Houston announced that a Progressive Conservative government would make parking free at all Nova Scotia hospitals and health-care centres. The promise was also made by the Liberals in their election platform released Monday.
“Free parking may not seem like a big deal to some, but … the parking, especially for people working at the facilities, can add up to hundreds of dollars,” the premier told a news conference at his campaign headquarters in Halifax.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 7, 2024.
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