Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s new cabinet – not much like the old cabinet
On Tuesday, Prime Minster Carney announced his new cabinet, hoping to signal, it would appear, that his government will not simply be a continuation of went on under the government of fellow Liberal Justin Trudeau. As Trudeau had become extremely unpopular, toxic really, to the Canadian electorate, it is certainly in Carney’s best interest to be seen as something totally different. One might think that something totally different would mean voting for a different party, but sometimes it means voting to keep the same party in power with a new leader/prime minister, which is what Canadians chose. The opportunity for this turn of events was very much because many Canadians felt Carney was best suited to deal with Trump.
In any case, Carney chose his new cabinet to show that there is a new sheriff in town and that his name is not Trudeau. The possibility that over time Canadians could become inured to Trump’s shenanigans and less likely to cast their votes for the best anti-Trump candidate is something to watch. In the short term, Carney probably has some time to be the new guy, to enjoy a honeymoon, and to address some problems that have made people grumpy and potentially looking for change.
The top line is that Carney has picked 28 cabinet ministers and 10 secretaries of state. Though there are a few familiar faces, mostly new people have been given the nod with 24 chosen to serve as cabinet secretaries or secretaries of state. Thirteen of these were elected to parliament for the first time in April. The secretary of state designation is sometimes used to tap people who will lead efforts within ministries on specific files.
The 24 new names include Shafqat Ali, Jill McKnight, Tim Hodgson, Eleanor Olszewski, Mandy Gull-Masty, Joël Lightbound, Gregor Robertson, Evan Solomon, Wayne Long and Nathalie Provost.
Anita Anand takes over as foreign affairs minister, replacing Mélanie Joly who heads to industry. David McGuinty takes on national defence, replacing Bill Blair.
Veterans François-Philippe Champagne, Chrystia Freeland and Dominic LeBlanc keep existing roles.
The full list of appointments is here.
The post Canadian Prime Minister Carney’s new cabinet – not much like the old cabinet appeared first on The Moderate Voice.