Trudeau Shuffles Cabinet In Wake Of Navdeep Bains’ Resignation

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has shuffled his federal cabinet to fill a vacancy left by a key minister and to field the team that could take him into the next federal election.

Tuesday’s shuffle came shortly after the resignation of Mississauga MP Navdeep Bains, who has served as minister of industry, innovation, and science since Liberals came to power in 2015, and says he will not run again in the next election. 

Bains, who served as an MP between 2004 and 2011 before making a comeback in the 2015 election, said in a video posted to Twitter it was time to prioritize his young family.

In a virtual ceremony Tuesday morning with Gov. Gen. Julie Payette, former foreign affairs minister François-Philippe Champagne was named Bains’ replacement as industry minister, while Marc Garneau was moved to foreign affairs, becoming Canada’s top diplomat just ahead of Joe Biden’s swearing-in as the next U.S. president.

Former key minister and Winnipeg MP Jim Carr was also appointed to cabinet as a minister without a portfolio and special representative for the Prairies. Carr’s return to cabinet full-time suggests his health has improved since he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a type of blood cancer, in October 2019.

“It’s great to have you back. It’s great to have you healthy,” Trudeau told Carr during the ceremony. “Lots of work ahead.”

Mississauga MP Omar Alghabra, the only fresh face promoted in Tuesday’s shake-up, will take over Garneau’s former post as minister of transport.

Trudeau has said departments that are key to Canada’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 crisis should be led by those who are planning to run in the next election campaign. 

When Bill Morneau resigned as finance minister in August amid the WE Charity controversy, he said it was because he didn’t plan to run in the next campaign and instead wanted to run for secretary-general of the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development.

More to come… 

RELATED

• What’s At Stake For Each Party As Possible 2021 Election Looms

• Singh Accuses Trudeau Of 'Looking For An Election' After Recent Comments

• Trudeau Calls Out Trump For Inciting 'Assault On Democracy'