With eight ministers who have declared they are not seeking re-election or have already stepped down, the PM has a lot to consider when he decides to shuffle his cabinet
OTTAWA — As Prime Minister Justin Trudeau decides his future, one problem that remains in need of solving is what he will do with his cabinet.
His desire to replace Chrystia Freeland in the role of finance after weeks of tension over the Liberals’ spending priorities ahead of U.S. president-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration on Jan. 20 led to her stunning resignation on Monday, which sent the Liberals into a tailspin. This after an already bruising year of trailing in public opinion polls behind Opposition Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Trudeau facing calls to resign.
Trudeau has spent the days since behind closed doors, save for two holiday gatherings he attended with Liberal donors and staffers.
One question that remains at the top of everyone’s mind, as MPs and ministers travel home for the holidays, is when he will shuffle his cabinet and replace the eight ministers who have declared they are not seeking re-election or have already stepped down?
Here are some of the considerations:
Who will become the new public safety minister?
When Dominic LeBlanc, the longtime cabinet minister, loyal Liberal and friend to Trudeau found himself at Rideau Hall on Monday being sworn in as Canada’s new finance minister, it opened up a vacancy for public safety minister.
That portfolio, which spans everything from CSIS to the RCMP, border security and correctional services, is one of the most complicated and has become even more consequential since Trump vowed to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian goods if the country does not tighten up its border security.
Will Trudeau scrap the idea of appointing a minister for Canada-U.S. relations?
It was the job Freeland turned down when Trudeau told her he was removing her from finance during a Friday morning Zoom call, according to a Liberal source.
The role does not come with its own ministry or budget, unlike normal cabinet positions.
Whether Trudeau still feels it necessary to create a minister responsible for Canada-U.S. relations after Freeland’s dramatic rejection remains unclear, as does what would that position actually do, considering there are already ministers for foreign affairs, trade, international development and industry.
LeBlanc also said he will remain the government’s lead on dealing with the U.S. on tariff talks.
An outspoken MP for housing?
Before Freeland resigned, discussions were happening about Nate Erskine-Smith possibly being picked for housing and infrastructure minister, replacing Sean Fraser who made his decision public this week not to seek re-election.
The MP for Beaches—East York, a riding that can flip between the Liberals and New Democrats, was considering the decision, National Post has learned. One possible hiccup, however, is the fact he announced at the start of 2024 he would not run again for his federal seat.
The Toronto MP, first elected in 2015, ran for leadership of the Ontario Liberals provincially and finished second to its current leader, Bonnie Crombie.
In Parliament, Erskine-Smith has a reputation as being an outspoken parliamentarian who hosts his own podcast, and someone not afraid to break ranks within his own party.
The Alberta problem
The Liberals have no representative from Alberta with the departure last month of Edmonton MP Randy Boissonnault, who stepped away from cabinet amid concerns about shifting claims he made about his ties to Indigenous identity and other business dealings.
It is convention that a prime minster assemble a cabinet that is representative of the country. Other than Saskatchewan, which has no Liberal MPs, Alberta is the only province without a minister around the cabinet table.
Freeland, who was born in Alberta, was the only other minister who touted having any ties to the province.
If Trudeau wants to have an Alberta MP in his cabinet, Calgary MP George Chahal remains the only bet, although he was fined after getting caught removing the flyer of a political opponent during the 2021 federal election.
Will Trudeau stick with maintaining gender parity?
Having an equal number of women and men in his cabinets has been a feature of Trudeau’s leadership since he assembled his first one back in November 2015, where he famously explained his reason why as being, “Because it’s 2015.”
Even with Freeland’s departure, Trudeau has kept that balance of 18 men and women.
His office has yet to respond about whether that would remain the case this time around, although should it, it creates another factor to weigh, with three female cabinet ministers — Carla Qualtrough, Filomena Tassi and Marie-Claude Bibeau — not seeking reelection. Besides Fraser, Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal has announced he’s not re-offering.
One final consideration: Will those on the backbench revolt if not picked?
Party insiders say one upside to Trudeau taking his time to shuffle his cabinet has been that it has provided an incentive to MPs sitting on the backbench who are growing squirrely over his leadership to hold their powder in the event they are promoted to minister.
Efforts to call on Trudeau to resign have bubbled up since the Liberals’ surprising byelection loss in Toronto—St.Paul’s back in June. They intensified again in October, with 24 MPs signing their names to a letter saying it was time he resigned, with more delivering that message to Trudeau’s directly during a caucus meeting.
Those attempts ultimately fizzled out, but calls for him to resign have only grown louder and more serious since Freeland’s resignation, with MPs who previously stayed anonymous now making their case in public and the Prime Minister Office’s handling of what happened under heavy scrutiny.
Prince Edward Island MP Sean Casey told reporters that he believes more will begin speaking out once they see they have no place in cabinet, and sources telling National Post the number of MPs who are losing faith in Trudeau is only growing.
National Post
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