Prime Minister Justin Trudeau did a small mix of his ministers before retiring for a cabinet retreat later in the day to plan a strategy for resuming parliament.
The shuffle is due to the departure of Navdeep Bains, who stepped down as innovation minister on Tuesday and has no plans to run again in the next election.
At the first virtual swearing-in ceremony in Canadian history, François-Philippe Champagne lost his foreign minister title to take on Bains’ previous role, while ex-transport minister Marc Garneau moved to the old position of Champagne.
Toronto Area MP Omar Alghabra took over the transportation portfolio, which has seen turmoil for 10 months since the pandemic, leading to a collapse in the travel industry and controversy over refunds for flight cancellations.
Jim Carr also returned to the Cabinet as Secretary of State and Special Envoy for the Prairie.
The former minister for international trade diversification resigned after announcing his diagnosis of multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, in October 2019.
In a video message released Tuesday morning, Bains said he would like to spend more time with his family after six elections.
“You have sacrificed so much in the past 17 years. Last year has been tough for families, ”says the Mississauga, Ont MP. “My daughters, who are in 5th and 8th grade, needed me more last year and I needed them too. It’s time for me to put my family first and I couldn’t be happier about it. “
It was clear to Trudeau that he would like the departments vital to the country’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic to be overseen by the ministers who will be there during the next election campaign to sell the government’s agenda.
Fought online in a streamlined ceremony with no pomp or ritual under the direction of Governor General Julie Payette, the shuffle follows a smaller round of musical chairs sparked by the resignation of then Treasury Secretary Bill Morneau in August. Chrystia Freeland replaced Morneau and retained her role as Deputy Prime Minister.
The cabinet retreat – four one-day sessions scheduled to take place over the next two weeks – is meant to focus on what still needs to be done by the government to combat the anger that lingers across the country, including ways to speed up vaccine rollouts.
It is also said to focus on possible economic recovery and the Liberal government’s plans to invest billions in fighting climate change, creating jobs, affordable housing, skills and a national childcare program.
The withdrawal is taking place as the government prepares to resume parliament on January 25, in an environment that is certainly more aggressive than the partisans.
The pandemic forced a level of bipartisan cooperation last year that allowed Trudeau’s liberal minority government to operate without serious threat to its survival.
The spirit of collaboration, however, was heavily strained late last year and is likely to evaporate overall this year, especially if the government introduces a budget designed to push the already historic federal deficit into the stratosphere.
The government will need the support of at least one of the main opposition parties to survive a confidence vote on the budget.
Trudeau began regular cabinet retreats six years ago to foster bond between ministers while they were outside the Ottawa Bubble.
COVID-19 ended the regional aspect of public relations at cabinet retreats last September. Trudeau and his ministers limited themselves to a few days in a government building in the country’s capital to think about how the country could be brought by the start of the second wave at that time.
And now the pandemic is also putting an end to the attachment aspect of retreats.
Trudeau will host a retreat that will be entirely virtual, with ministers participating via videoconference from various locations across the country.
The Canadian press
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.
Would you like to support local journalism during the pandemic? Donate here.
Closet shuffleLiberals
Get local stories you won’t find anywhere else straight to your inbox.
Login here
