Mark Carney’s anti-Trump, election-ready team
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld
Prime Minister Mark Carney’s Cabinet is a leaner, tighter ship, purpose-built to focus on helping Canadians successfully navigate Trump 2.0’s perilous and quicksilver tariff and trade decision-making; and, in Carney’s view a team that is ready to fight an anti-Trump election. It is a considerably slimmer Cabinet compared to those we had under Trudeau. The Cabinet remains close to the 50:50 gender balance that Trudeau established in 2015 — 13 men and 11 women.
A ‘focused’ cabinet
Prime Minister Carney said his government will focus on two priorities: “First, protecting Canadian workers and their families in the face of unjustified foreign trade actions. And second, growing this great country by putting more money in Canadians’ pockets by ensuring that the government spends less so Canada can invest more by building millions of homes, by making Canada a superpower in both conventional and clean energies, by creating new trade corridors with reliable partners and by forging one Canadian economy out of 13. We will relentlessly pursue this positive agenda.”
As befits a Cabinet focused almost entirely on the Trump threat, the core team that has dealt with that paramount Canadian priority to date — François-Phillipe Champagne at Finance, Dominic LeBlanc at International Trade Intergovernmental Affairs, Mélanie Joly at Foreign Affairs, David McGuinty at Public Safety and Bill Blair at National Defence — hold their key jobs, with some just switching chairs. Another established Cabinet performer, Anita Anand, joins the top Canada-U.S. table as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
There has been an extensive emphasis on the “focused” aspect of a smaller cabinet. To some degree that may have been achieved, as there is naturally more focus when there are fewer people. Fewer people, however — when many of those people have more responsibilities — might make it more difficult for ministers to focus on their objectives. For the immediate term, this is a caretaker cabinet and not a war cabinet, and when it comes to key decision-makers — the Cabinet has not changed much.
Who’s in, who’s out?
There are three new faces: Arielle Kayabaga, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Democratic Institutions, Kody Blois, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development, and Ali Ehsassi, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement. This paucity of new faces opens up an obvious line of attack from the Conservatives, Jagmeet Singh’s NDP, and Yves-François Blanchet’s Bloc Québécois. No doubt the “shifting the deck chairs on the Titanic” metaphors are already written.
There were considerable rumours heading into the shuffle that there would be entrants to cabinet who are not in caucus, but that did not materialize today. We anticipate that some of those names, like B.C.’s Christy Clark might be announced as star candidates in the coming weeks.
Steven Guilbeault, a lightning rod for criticism on the climate change file, becomes Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada, and Quebec Lieutenant, positioning him as the Liberal standard bearer against Pierre Poilievre’s pledge to defund the CBC. The retention of Jonathan Wilkinson as Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, a co-architect of Trudeau’s Climate Change Action Plan, puts a more moderate face on the file along with the new Minister of Environment and Climate Change Terry Duguid.
It is interesting that the ministerial titles: Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities and Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth have also been dropped, a message to address the broad impression that the Trudeau government was focused more on micro-targeted identity politics than on the economy where it should have been. Where there were five ESDC ministers, there is now one.
Notable for her absence from Cabinet was the third-place leadership contender Karina Gould. The conventional wisdom during the leadership race was that Gould performed above expectations positioning herself as a rising star in the Liberal Party.
Over the years, Gould demonstrated she is one of the more skilled communicators in the Liberal caucus and her exclusion could haunt the incoming team, given what she represents in the party as a more left-leaning, progressive member. Her brand of politics is alive and well in the party and members have long memories.
On the other hand, it might surprise some that Chrystia Freeland was kept on as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade. Given her breadth of knowledge about U.S. relations, this is a net positive.
There was also limited regional diversity, with only two Western ministers. The reality remains, when you’re forming a cabinet at this stage of the game, you have to work with what you have. The Liberals do not have deep enough bench strength to pull from at this moment — and they will need to focus on building that bench strength over the next election campaign.
What comes next?
Carney and his Cabinet met this afternoon. The Prime Minister said he and his ministers agreed to eliminate the consumer carbon tax.
We are on ready alert for an election to be announced in the days immediately preceding the recall of parliament, which is prorogued until March 24, 2025.
Carney and his team will take advantage of this week to complete international travel, negotiate with the U.S. and continue to get their campaign team ready to go. The election platform for the Liberals also begins today in earnest. They will maximize every minute they have over the next nine or so days.
Meet the ministers
DOMINIC LEBLANC
INTERNATIONAL TRADE AND INTERGOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS AND PRESIDENT OF THE KING’S PRIVY COUNCIL FOR CANADA
A fixture within Cabinet, during his short run as Finance Minister he built a rapport with U.S. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick during the U.S.-Canada trade war. This will be key in his role moving forward.
MÉLANIE JOLY
FOREIGN AFFAIRS AND INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Joly retains her file during a crucial time in Canada-U.S. relations, and during a time when increased diplomacy is required. Joly has proven herself on the world stage as an effective communicator.
FRANÇOIS-PHILIPPE CHAMPAGNE
FINANCE
Another key figure in relations with the U.S and popular with business, Champagne gets promoted to what some consider the top job after Prime Minister.
ANITA ANAND
INNOVATION, SCIENCE AND INDUSTRY
Anand’s role as a strong negotiator and industry liaison during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic has given her a reputation as an effective voice for Canadians. Her on-again-off-again decision to run for re-election paid off in landing a top economic portfolio.
BILL BLAIR
NATIONAL DEFENCE
Blair stays in Defence, a role in which he’s been considered strong by stakeholders, and where he is expected to be extensively focused on the war in Ukraine and Canada’s response to calls by allies to increase NATO contributions.
PATTY HAJDU
INDIGENOUS SERVICES
Hajdu remains in Indigenous Services. Her presence in cabinet is a reflection of the acknowledgement of the need for continuity in order to build and maintain strong relationships with Indigenous partners.
JONATHAN WILKINSON
ENERGY AND NATURAL RESOURCES
Wilkinson retains his role, one in which he’s emphasized the importance of Canadian energy and resources to the U.S. and around the world.
GINETTE PETITPAS TAYLOR
PRESIDENT OF THE TREASURY BOARD
Petitpas Taylor keeps her role at TBS, which she’s held since December 2024. A strong bilingual communicator, Petitpas Taylor will be an important piece of the puzzle as Prime Minister Carney looks to make immediate policy shifts.
STEVEN GUILBEAULT
CANADIAN CULTURE AND IDENTITY, PARKS CANADA AND QUEBEC LIEUTENANT
Guilbeault returns to the Canadian Heritage portfolio under a new name, matching the wrapping up of sport, diversity, and Official Languages into one key role. The inclusion of identity into his title signals an acknowledgement of the opposition attacks that Liberals have lost their national pride.
CHRYSTIA FREELAND
TRANSPORT AND INTERNAL TRADE
Internal trade has become an increasing focal point for both the federal and provincial governments, and Freeland’s experience in trade, interprovincial work and finance could pay off. She will also need to focus on addressing supply chain issues impacting Canada’s internal trade.
KAMAL KHERA
HEALTH
A nurse herself, Kamal Khera has served in various portfolios in Cabinet since 2021. Notably, Khera returned to the front lines of nursing during the COVID-19 outbreak.
GARY ANANDASANGAREE
JUSTICE AND ATTORNEY GENERAL OF CANADA AND MINISTER OF CROWN-INDIGENOUS RELATIONS AND NORTHERN AFFAIRS
He will bring his understanding of Crown Indigenous Relations to an expanded portfolio that includes Justice. Again, continuity matters when it comes to relationship building between the Crown and Indigenous partners.
RECHIE VALDEZ
CHIEF GOVERNMENT WHIP
While prorogation of Parliament might see the role hold less relevance, Valdez remains an enthusiastic cabinet member.
STEVEN MACKINNON
JOBS AND FAMILIES
MacKinnon keeps his ESDC portfolio, with labour and employment simply wrapped into “jobs.” Where there have been five or more ESDC ministers in Trudeau Cabinets, MacKinnon will be the only one.
DAVID McGUINTY
PUBLIC SAFETY AND EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
McGuinty, a fixture in the Liberal Party, retains his public safety portfolio in particular as the government continues to address border security. Since his addition to cabinet in December 2024, McGuinty has demonstrated his unflappable nature in the face of erratic accusations and threats from the U.S. administration.
TERRY DUGUID
ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE
The only Prairies minister, Duguid has been a long time Parliamentary Secretary before heading Sport and PrairiesCan in the last cabinet. Duguid, the Liberal Party Campaign Co-Chair will bring his passion for the environment to this role.
NATHANIEL ERSKINE-SMITH
HOUSING, INFRASTRUCTURE AND COMMUNITIES
Erskine-Smith reversed his decision to not seek re-election in order to secure this role in December 2024. He is often viewed as a rebel in the party but his ability to communicate directly with Canadians has been viewed as an asset to the party’s electoral prospects.
RACHEL BENDAYAN
IMMIGRATION, REFUGEES AND CITIZENSHIP
Bendayan is a long-time Parliamentary Secretary and skilled international trade lawyer, is an experienced economic voice having served former Finance Minister Freeland in her role as PS to Finance.
ÉLISABETH BRIÈRE
VETERANS AFFAIRS AND THE CANADA REVENUE AGENCY
Previously Minister of National Revenue, she’s a Quebec minister from Sherbrooke who maintains a cabinet post while taking on Veterans Affairs. Sherbrooke has been a notoriously tight race, won by a less than one per cent margin in 2019, and only eight per cent in 2021.
JOANNE THOMPSON
FISHERIES, OCEANS AND THE CANADIAN COAST GUARD
Thompson represents Newfoundland on the cabinet, where Fisheries normally switches coasts between minister changes. She will pick up the portfolio from East Coaster Diane Lebouthillier, who is notably absent from Cabinet.
ARIELLE KAYABAGA
LEADER OF THE GOVERNMENT IN THE HOUSE OF COMMONS AND MINISTER OF DEMOCRATIC INSTITUTIONS
For the first time since 2015, a London MP now holds a cabinet position. Kayabaga was notably in a very tight race for London West, winning over now Ontario PC cabinet minister Rob Flack with only a four per cent margin of victory.
KODY BLOIS
AGRICULTURE AND AGRI-FOOD AND RURAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Blois, representing an Atlantic swing riding, has extensive experience with the portfolio, having served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food, as well as the Chair of AGRI. With tariff threats top of mind, he is well-known and responsive to industry stakeholders.
ALI EHSASSI
GOVERNMENT TRANSFORMATION, PUBLIC SERVICES AND PROCUREMENT
A Parliamentary Secretary many-times over, Ehsassi joins cabinet under a Prime Minister who has expressed clear interest in making the public service more efficient and implementing AI tools to do so.
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