Poilievre Says Trudeau Cabinet Shakeup Signals a Failure of Liberal Policies

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon pose for a group portrait with the prime minister's latest cabinet appointees during a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 202. The Canadian Press/Adrian Wyld

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s move to fire or shuffle a large part of his cabinet is a sign of the failure of his policies.

At a news conference on July 26 in Timmins, Ontario, Mr. Poilievre blamed the Liberals for “eight years of inflationary spending that has exploded the cost of living, eight years of carbon taxes that drive up your gas, heat, and groceries, eight years of catch and release policies that make our streets dangerous, and eight years of doubling the cost of housing. His government is a failure.”

“Mr. Trudeau has fired a lot of ministers today, admitted his government is broken,” he said. “One minister who was responsible for these failures didn’t get moved, and that minister is Justin Trudeau.”

In a cabinet shuffle on July 26, Mr. Trudeau stripped seven ministers of their roles, promoted seven rookie MPs to cabinet, and changed the portfolios of 23 other ministers.

Five of the new ministers represent constituencies in Ontario, one is from British Columbia, and one is from Quebec.

At a press conference after the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall, Mr. Trudeau called the shuffle “a positive step in a moment of consequential impact in the world and in the country.”

He said that millions of Canadians are going through a “difficult time right now,” but that he is “making sure that we have the best possible team aligned to respond to Canadians’ challenges with the supports necessary.”

Major Changes

The shuffle brought major changes, with David Lametti out as minister of justice and attorney general and leaving cabinet entirely. Mona Fortier at the Treasury Board suffered the same fate. She will be replaced by Anita Anand, who leaves her portfolio at National Defence.

Former emergency preparedness minister Bill Blair will now be defence minister. Also shuffled were the immigration minister, minister of health, and public services and procurement minister. Omar Alghabra has been removed from his job as transportation minister and from cabinet. He has said he has no plans to run for re-election.

New ministers include Gary Anandasangaree, who takes over Crown-Indigenous relations; Terry Beech, who is in a new portfolio called Citizens’ Services; Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada; Mental Health and Addictions Minister Ya'ara Saks; Families Minister Jenna Sudds; and Small Business Minister Rechie Valdez.

Only seven ministers remain in their current posts: Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland, Industry Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne, Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault, Indigenous Services Minister Patty Hajdu, Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien, and Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Steven Guilbeault responds to a question at a news conference in Ottawa on June 14, 2023. Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press

The New Trudeau Cabinet

- Anita Anand: president of the Treasury Board

- Gary Anandasangaree: minister of crown-indigenous relations

- Terry Beech: minister of citizens’ services

- Francois-Philippe Champagne, minister of innovation, science and industry

- Marie-Claude Bibeau: minister of national revenue

- Bill Blair: minister of national defence

- Randy Boissonnault: minister of employment, workforce development, and official languages

- Jean-Yves Duclos: minister of public services and procurement

- Soraya Martinez Ferrada: minister of tourism and minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec

- Sean Fraser: minister of housing, infrastructure, and communities

- Chrystia Freeland, deputy prime minister and minister of finance

- Karina Gould: government House leader

- Steven Guilbeault: minister of environment and climate change

- Patty Hajdu: minister of Indigenous services and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

- Mark Holland: minister of health

- Ahmed Hussen: minister of international development

- Gudie Hutchings: minister of rural economic development and minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency

- Marci Ien: minister for women and gender equality and youth

- Melanie Joly: minister of foreign affairs

- Kamal Khera: minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities

- Dominic LeBlanc: minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs

- Diane Lebouthillier: minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard

- Lawrence MacAulay: minister of agriculture and agri-food

- Marc Miller: minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship

- Mary Ng: minister of export promotion, international trade and economic development

- Seamus O'Regan Jr.: minister of labour and seniors

- Ginette Petitpas Taylor: minister of veterans affairs and associate minister of national defence

- Carla Qualtrough: minister of sport and physical activity

- Pablo Rodriguez: minister of transport and Quebec lieutenant

- Harjit Sajjan: president of the King’s Privy Council for Canada, minister of emergency preparedness and minister responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada

- Ya'ara Saks: minister of mental health and addictions and associate minister of health

- Jenna Sudds: minister of families, children and social development

- Pascale St-Onge: minister of Canadian heritage

- Filomena Tassi: minister responsible for the Federal Economic DevelopmentAgency for Southern Ontario

- Rechie Valdez: minister of small business

- Arif Virani: minister of justice and Attorney General of Canada

- Jonathan Wilkinson: minister of energy and natural resources

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.