Prime Minister Mark Carney revealed a sweeping cabinet shake-up on Tuesday, aiming to reshape the Liberal Party in his own vision and move beyond the legacy of the previous administration.
The newly appointed ministry features 28 cabinet ministers and 10 secretaries of state, representing every province and the North. While it includes some experienced figures, the majority are newcomers — many of whom are either first-time cabinet members or were only recently elected to Parliament.
In total, Carney has personally selected 24 fresh faces — including 13 newly elected MPs — to take on roles as full ministers or secretaries of state, the latter being a once-retired position that Carney is bringing back.
Speaking to reporters following the swearing-in ceremony, Prime Minister Carney framed the cabinet overhaul as a response to Canadians’ call for renewal after nearly a decade under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
“Our government will pursue its mandate for change with urgency and determination,” Carney declared. “We’re bringing in a new team, specifically chosen for this pivotal moment in Canada’s history,” he added, emphasizing that half the ministry is made up of newcomers bringing “fresh perspectives” to the table.
“That’s a significant amount of change,” he said. “Half and half — for me, it’s perfect.”
Carney described his streamlined, “more focused” cabinet as one that will embody “true cabinet government,” where ministers are empowered to make decisions independently, without needing constant approval from the Prime Minister’s Office.
He said this new structure is designed to help the government move swiftly on its ambitious priorities — including negotiating a new trade agreement with the U.S., stimulating a lagging economy by eliminating internal trade barriers, delivering a middle-class tax cut by Canada Day to ease affordability issues, accelerating homebuilding, tackling crime, and launching large-scale infrastructure projects of “national significance.”
“We were elected to get things done, and we intend to act quickly and decisively,” Carney stated. “We must deal with the crisis involving the U.S., and we must confront the serious challenges in our economy — and we will.”
As part of the push to rejuvenate the front bench, Carney is elevating critics of Trudeau such as MPs Wayne Long and Joël Lightbound while removing some ministers who served under his predecessor, such as Bill Blair, Jonathan Wilkinson and Ginette Petitpas-Taylor, as he tries to show voters that things are changing in Ottawa on his watch.
im Hodgson, a veteran business executive from the Toronto area and a former colleague of Carney’s at the Bank of Canada, has been appointed minister of natural resources and energy, succeeding Jonathan Wilkinson.
Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson will take on the role of housing minister. Mandy Gull-Masty, previously a Cree grand chief in northern Quebec, has been named minister of Indigenous Services, while Rebecca Alty, the former mayor of Yellowknife, will serve as minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
Shafqat Ali, of Brampton, Ont., is taking over as president of the Treasury Board. Former journalist Evan Solomon takes on a newly created role as minister of artificial intelligence. Nova Scotia MP Lena Metlege Diab will be the immigration minister.
Champagne, LeBlanc stay put
Despite the sweeping changes, there is some continuity between the Trudeau and Carney ministries, largely due to time constraints. With just two months since winning the leadership, being sworn in, and securing a mandate, Carney hasn’t had much time to recruit a broad slate of new candidates.
In making his appointments, Carney also considered the importance of experience and continuity for certain senior roles. However, while some seasoned figures remain, many are not returning to the same positions they held under the previous government.