Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today dropped seven ministers and named new ministers of defence and public safety — an almost complete overhaul of his cabinet at a time of heightened tensions overseas and scandals at home.
Trudeau unveiled a new cabinet team with a renewed focus on economic priorities, such as housing, during a ceremony at Rideau Hall. The shuffle brings in several new faces and tasks more than a dozen ministers with new roles.
Toronto-area MP Bill Blair takes over the defence portfolio from Anita Anand, who becomes president of the Treasury Board.
Bill Blair arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
Blair, a former police chief who was most recently the minister of emergency preparedness, becomes the country’s point person at NATO and will be responsible for Canada’s response to the war in Ukraine.
The Canadian Armed Forces is also reeling from a sexual misconduct scandal; Blair is now responsible for overseeing the military’s attempt to change its culture.
New Brunswick’s Dominic LeBlanc will now lead public safety, an often-challenging portfolio that includes the Canadian Security Intelligence Service and the RCMP. He also takes on the democratic institutions file and will continue to serve as intergovernmental affairs minister.
Anita Anand arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
LeBlanc, who represents Beauséjour, will play a key role in determining how the government responds to allegations that China interfered in the past two federal elections, and to the damning report on the Mounties’ handling of the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia. He’ll also have to stickhandle negotiations with the provinces about the future of RCMP contract policing.
His predecessor, Marco Mendicino, was dropped from cabinet. His demotion ends a tenure at the cabinet table plagued by multiple controversies, including the government’s poorly received gun control legislation and lingering questions on the foreign interference file.
Dominic LeBlanc arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Justin Tang/The Canadian Press)
More recently, Mendicino was under intense pressure due to the controversy over the transfer of serial killer Paul Bernardo to a medium-security prison.
7 fresh faces called up
Seven new MPs received a promotion to cabinet:
Toronto MP Arif Virani, who represents Parkdale—High Park, becomes minister of justice and attorney general of Canada
Arif Virani and his family arrive for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Quebec MP Soraya Martinez Ferrada, who represents the riding of Hochelaga, becomes the minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec Regions.
Gary Anandasangaree, who represents Scarborough—Rouge Park, becomes minister of Crown-Indigenous relations
B.C. MP Terry Beech of Burnaby North—Seymour becomes minister of citizens’ services
Toronto-area MP Ya’ara Saks, who represents York Centre, becomes minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health
Ottawa-area MP Jenna Sudds, who represents, Kanata—Carleton, becomes minister of families, children and social development
Mississauga—Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez becomes minister of small business
Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Multiple ministers changing responsibilities
Wednesday’s shuffle also saw several current ministers change positions or add to their portfolios:
Pablo Rodriguez becomes transport minister
Pascale St-Onge becomes minister of Canadian heritage
Mark Holland becomes minister of health
Sean Fraser becomes minister of housing, infrastructure and communities
Sean Fraser arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Lawrence MacAulay becomes minister of agriculture
Jean-Yves Duclos becomes minister of public services and procurement
Marie-Claude Bibeau becomes minister of national revenue
Gudie Hutchings remains minister of rural economic development but now takes on responsibility for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Diane Lebouthillier becomes minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Harjit Sajjan becomes president of the King’s Privy Council and minister of emergency preparedness, and keeps his role as minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada
Carla Qualtrough becomes minister of sport and physical activity
Karina Gould becomes government House leader
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons Karina Gould takes the oath during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)
Ahmed Hussen becomes minister of international development
Seamus O’Regan stays on as minister of labour and adds the seniors portfolio
Ginette Petitpas Taylor becomes minister of veterans affairs
Mary Ng remains minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development but drops small business from her files
Jonathan Wilkinson stays put but his portfolio is being renamed “energy and natural resources”
Marc Miller becomes minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship
Randy Boissonnault becomes minister of employment workforce development and official languages
Kamal Khera becomes minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities.
Freeland, Joly staying put
Just eight ministers kept their portfolios:
Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland
Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly
Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault
Innovation, Science and Industry Minister François-Philippe Champagne
Francois-Philippe Champagne (left), Chrystia Freeland (centre) and Mary Ng arrive for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Wednesday, July 26, 2023. (Justin Tang/Canadian Press)
Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, also minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario Filomena Tassi
Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal, also minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth Marci Ien
Gould recently announced she is expecting her second child in the new year. Trudeau announced Wednesday that Government Whip Steve MacKinnon will serve as House leader in her absence and Ruby Sahota will fill in as whip.
Liberal MPs Helena Jaczek left, Omar Alghabra, centre left, Carolyn Bennett, centre right, and Joyce Murray are not running in the next election. (Patrick Doyle/Reuters, Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press, Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press, Blair Gable/Reuters)
Four of the seven ministers who were dropped announced earlier this week that they would not be running again:
Former public services and procurement minister Helena Jaczek
Former transport minister Omar Alghabra
Former mental health and addictions minister Carolyn Bennett
Former fisheries minister Joyce Murray
It’s not clear if former justice minister David Lametti will re-offer. He released a statement Wednesday congratulating Virani and saying he was proud of what he accomplished in the role.
“Confidence in our justice system is central to the rule of law. One way of building that confidence is by reaching out to communities who feel alienated from our justice system: Indigenous people, black and racialized communities,” he wrote.
“This was an important priority for me.”
Mona Fortier, left, David Lametti, centre, and Marco Mendicino were dropped from cabinet. (Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press, Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press)
In his own media statement, Mendicino said it was an honour to serve as public safety minister and thanked members of the national security and law enforcement communities.
“Thank you for putting yourselves in harm’s way to protect Canadians every single day. We do not say this nearly enough,” he wrote.
“To my cabinet and caucus colleagues, it remains a privilege to work with you. The seating arrangements may move around in the House or Commons from time to time, but we are family and committed to the same cause.”
Former president of the Treasury Board Mona Fortier tweeted that it was a privilege to serve in cabinet.
Ultimately, 30 of 38 ministries were affected by Wednesday’s shuffle. The cabinet is now made up of 19 women and 20 men, including the prime minister himself.
Supporters of Vice-President Kamala Harris say they are devastated the Democratic party leader lost the United States presidential election. Harris was set to address Democrats at her alma mater Howard University in Washington, D.C. after conceding the race in a phone call with Donald Trump. (Nov. 6, 2024)
DETROIT (AP) — Democratic U.S. Rep. Elissa Slotkin has won Michigan’s open U.S. Senate seat, giving Democrats a bittersweet victory in a swing state that also backed Republican President-elect Donald Trump in his successful bid to return to the White House.
Slotkin, a third-term representative, defeated former Republican congressman Mike Rogers. Democrats have held both Senate seats in Michigan for decades, but this year were left without retiring incumbent Sen. Debbie Stabenow.
Michigan’s was among a handful of Senate races Democrats struggled to defend. They lost their U.S. Senate majority despite Slotkin’s narrow win.
The race was incredibly close. Just minutes before it was called for Slotkin, she addressed supporters in Detroit, acknowledging that many voters may have cast their ballots for her while also supporting Trump, who won the state’s electoral votes over Democrat Kamala Harris.
“It’s my responsibility to get things done for Michiganders. No matter who’s in office, just as I did in President Trump’s first term,” said Slotkin. “I’m a problem solver and I will work with anyone who is actually here to work.”
Slotkin’s win provides some solace for Democrats in the state, many of whom entered Election Day with high confidence following sweeping victories in the 2022 midterms. Democrat Gov. Gretchen Whitmer still controls the executive branch and Democrats held onto the Senate, but their state House majority was in peril.
And Republicans also captured a mid-Michigan seat vacated by Slotkin, considered one of the most competitive races in the country.
Slotkin, a former CIA analyst and third-term representative, launched her Senate campaign shortly after Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow announced her retirement in early 2023. With a largely uncontested primary, Slotkin built a significant fundraising advantage and poured it into advertising. Her high-profile supporters included former President Barack Obama and Stabenow, who helped her on the campaign trail.
On the Republican side, Rogers faced multiple challengers for the party’s nomination, including former Reps. Justin Amash and Peter Meijer, the latter of whom withdrew before the Aug. 6 primary. Rogers served in the U.S. House from 2001 to 2015 and chaired the House Intelligence Committee.
Trump won Michigan in 2016 by just over 10,000 votes, marking the first time a Republican presidential candidate had secured the state in nearly three decades. This time, he expanded that margin to about 80,000 votes.
Slotkin and other Michigan Democrats focused much of their campaigns on reproductive rights, arguing that Republican opponents would back a national abortion ban, although Rogers said he wouldn’t. How effectively the issue motivated voting in a state where reproductive rights were enshrined in the constitution by Michigan voters in 2022 remained to be seen on Election Day.
About 4 in 10 Michigan voters said the economy and jobs is the top issue facing the country, according to AP VoteCast, a sweeping survey of more than 110,000 voters nationally, including about 3,700 voters in Michigan. About 2 in 10 Michigan voters said immigration is the most pressing issue, and roughly 1 in 10 named abortion.
Slotkin used her funding advantage to establish her narrative early, aiming to connect both with her base and disillusioned Republicans.
“For the Republicans who feel like their party has left them over the last few years, you will always have an open door in my office,” Slotkin said during their only debate.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Fernando Valenzuela was remembered for “having the heart of a lion” throughout his stellar pitching career with the Los Angeles Dodgers during a funeral highlighting his Catholic faith on Wednesday.
Archbishop José Gomez sprinkled holy water on Valenzuela’s casket and later waved incense over it. Nearby a portrait of a smiling Valenzuela rested against the altar.
“His death came too soon,” the Rev. James Anguiano said in his sermon.
The public Mass at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels in downtown Los Angeles included fans wearing Dodgers gear, some in Valenzuela’s No. 34 jersey. Many held up cell phones to record moments.
Valenzuela died on Oct. 22 at age 63, three days before the Dodgers began their eventual run to the franchise’s eighth World Series championship, beating the New York Yankees in five games last week. No cause of death was given.
“I really think Fernando hoped to witness the Dodgers win the World Series this year but you know he did witness the Dodgers as champions,” Anguiano said. “Fernando had a front-row seat, perfect from heaven.”
“I know like I’m standing here that Fernando is up there, he’s letting us know he’s doing well and he’s celebrating along with the Dodgers in their World Series championship,” said Mike Scioscia, who caught Valenzuela in many of his starts in 1981, including a five-hit shutout on Opening Day.
The Dodgers went on to win the World Series that year, in six games against the Yankees. The Mexican-born Valenzuela is the only player to earn the NL Cy Young Award and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.
Scioscia, at times speaking in Spanish, eulogized Valenzuela for having “the heart of a lion.”
“He was 20-years-old in 1981 when he was going through Fernandomania and he just kept perspective the whole way,” Scioscia said. “Fernando never got too big for his britches. He was always well-grounded, he knew that he had a talent and he wanted to go out there and do it every time. He always felt he was the best in the world but he never told anybody about it.”
Fernando Valenzuela Jr. gave a tearful eulogy of his papá in Spanish, pausing to wipe his face with a white cloth. Valenzuela’s wife, Linda, and other children Ricardo, Linda and Maria sat in the front row, along with his grandchildren.
“Fernando no longer has to look up nor does he have to look down,” Anguiano said, referring to Valenzuela’s skyward glance during his unusual delivery. “Fernando is alive and present in our hearts and in our lives.”
The nine-member Mariachi Sol de Mexico played and sang throughout the service. It concluded with eight pallbearers ushering his casket covered in white roses to a waiting hearse.
Former Dodgers Orel Hershiser, Ron Cey, Reggie Smith, Jerry Reuss, Manny Mota, Justin Turner, Rick Sutcliffe, Nomar Garciaparra and Jesse Orosco were among the mourners. They were joined by former Dodgers owner Peter O’Malley, current president and CEO Stan Kasten, team COO Bob Wolfe, team general counsel Sam Fernandez and actor Edward James Olmos.
Valenzuela’s colleagues on the team’s Spanish-language broadcasts, Jaime Jarrín who retired in 2022 and, José Mota, were there.
