Liberal MP Steve MacKinnon has been sworn in as Labour and Seniors Minister, replacing Seamus O'Regan who announced his resignation from cabinet a day earlier.
“I’m very grateful for the opportunity that’s been given me today,” Mr. MacKinnon said at Rideau Hall on July 19 alongside Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.
Mr. MacKinnon, first elected in 2015, served as government whip until taking over the position of interim government House leader earlier this year, replacing Karina Gould while she is on maternity leave. She is expected to return to her role at the end of July.
Mr. O'Regan abruptly announced July 18 his plan to step down from his cabinet position. The Newfoundland representative said he would finish his current term as MP, but did not plan to seek re-election.
In a statement on X, Mr. O'Regan said it had been a “great honour” to serve his constituents, but that he needed to focus on his family and be a better “husband, son, uncle, and friend.”
Mr. MacKinnon said Mr. O'Regan had a “long list of accomplishments” in several cabinet positions, and that his province should be “rightly proud of the legacy left by Seamus and his colleagues.”
As Labour Minister, Mr. MacKinnon said his first priority would be to act as a facilitator in collective bargaining processes to ensure deals are reached. The economy is also on his priority list.
“I believe that my job will be to ensure that the economy continues to allow for competitive businesses and allow for healthy workplaces where workers are well compensated,” he said.
When asked by reporters outside Rideau Hall if he believed the prime minister should make additional cabinet or policy changes, Mr. MacKinnon said cabinet is “resolved to continue the work and continue on the path that we have set for Canadians,” adding that there is “nothing you can take for granted in politics.”
“I detect a resolve among all of my caucus and cabinet colleagues to continue doing the work as we enter what will undoubtedly be a productive year, a challenging year,” he said. “And if we’ve learned nothing over the past few weeks, it’s what we assume to be true today in politics is not necessarily going to be true tomorrow.”
When asked if there is discontent within the Liberal caucus over Mr. Trudeau’s leadership, Mr. MacKinnon said they are an “incredibly tightly-knit group” who are constantly having “interesting discussions.”
“Those discussions are going to continue, and we will have a caucus at the end of the summer to deal with them, but I am here to tell you today that this caucus is foursquare behind our leader,” he said. “This caucus is foursquare behind the policies that we’ve adopted, and proud of the record that we have.”
Mr. MacKinnon acknowledged the party is in a “challenging” political situation, but said the caucus is continuing to work for Canadians.
The Liberals have been lagging behind the Conservatives in the polls for more than a year and recently experienced a surprise byelection loss in the riding of Toronto—St. Paul’s, which had been a held by the Liberals since 1993.
The Liberal cabinet is expected to hold a virtual meeting later today for the first time since the byelection loss.
