Carney chooses a much smaller cabinet than Trudeau’s as the country narrows in on the trade conflict with the U.S.
After Mark Carney was sworn in as Canada’s prime minister on March 14, he revealed the collection of ministers who will serve in his cabinet to make up the 30th Canadian Ministry.
Carney’s cabinet, including 23 ministers, is heavily condensed in comparison to former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, which held 37 ministers. At a news conference following his swearing-in ceremony, Carney said that having a “leaner” cabinet will make it easier for the government to navigate the ongoing trade conflict with the U.S.
Carney also said that a condensed cabinet will lead the government to spend less money and thus invest more money back into Canadians through home building efforts, investment in “conventional and clean” forms of energy, seeking “reliable” trade partners and solidifying a singular Canadian economy as opposed to 13 separate ones.
Few ministers kept the exact same positions they served under Trudeau, but those who remain in the same positions include Bill Blair, the Minister of National Defence; Patty Hajdu, Minister of Indigenous Services; Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources; Ginette Petitpas Taylor, President of the Treasury Board; Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown–Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs; David McGuinty, Minister of Public Safety; and Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
Carney also kept many well-known Ministers that served under Trudeau, including Carney’s former running mate Chrystia Freeland, who now serves as Minister of Transport and Trade; Dominic Leblanc, who kept his position as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs while also serving as Minister of International Trade and President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada; Mélanie Joly, who retained her position as Minister of Foreign Affairs and now also serves as Minister of International Development; and François-Philippe Champagne, who now serves as Minister of Finance.
Since the cabinet has less ministers overall, the responsibilities of many positions that have been cut were tacked under the responsibilities of other ministers, leading to many ministers representing several positions. This is not necessarily uncommon, but it is found to a higher degree in Carney’s cabinet.
Carney faced criticism for his decision to condense minister numbers by removing certain ministry positions. The positions not found in Carney’s cabinet include those responsible for issues regarding women and gender equality and youth (WAGE), diversity, persons with disabilities and seniors, among others.
Notably, issues regarding these groups are not completely out of discussions, they just no longer have specific ministers devoting their complete attention to representing these demographics. Instead, these responsibilities have been reallocated to fit under other ministers’ broader responsibilities.
For example, CBC News clarified that Steve MacKinnon, the Minister of Jobs and Families, will be responsible for representing seniors and persons with disabilities, according to his portfolio.
Issues regarding women and gender equality have been placed under Steven Guilbeault’s responsibilities as the Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity. Still, the Canadian Research Institute for the Advancement of Women released a statement outlining their dissatisfaction with the decision to remove the minister position solely responsible for WAGE, calling Carney’s condensed cabinet “unacceptable.”
Despite criticism, MacKinnon spoke on behalf of the government to emphasize that they still take these issues “extremely seriously” and will continue to give them as much attention as they were given under their own ministers.
The full list of ministers serving in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet can be found on the Government of Canada website.