Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to overhaul his cabinet Tuesday, with over 50 per cent of the MPs who will be heading to Rideau Hall set to be first-time ministers, sources tell Global News.
The cabinet will be separated into two groups, sources say.
The first group will be made up of senior cabinet ministers, with fewer than 30 people holding key portfolios — including foreign affairs, defence, and the minister poised to lead negotiations with the Trump administration.
International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Finance Minister Francois-Phillipe Champagne are anticipated to stay in their posts.
But multiple sources tell Global News that Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly may be shuffled out of her current role.
Multiple sources say Anita Anand will be the new justice minister.
Multiple sources said it was likely Chrystia Freeland – a key member of the previous Liberal government who Carney named internal trade minister last month – would be out of cabinet, but by Monday night senior Liberal sources including one with direct knowledge of the plans said she would remain in.
Half a dozen sources throughout the day and evening described the process of determining who would be in cabinet as “chaotic.”
Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith is also not anticipated to return to cabinet, sources say.
New faces expected to be senior cabinet ministers are Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby MP Gregor Robertson, the former mayor of Vancouver, and Markham—Thornhill MP Tim Hodgson, a former executive at Hydro One and an advisor to Carney when the prime minister served as governor of the Bank of Canada.
Carney is also expected to seek regional representation at the cabinet table. That means Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River MP Buckley Belanger, the only Liberal MP from Saskatchewan, and Calgary Confederation MP Corey Hogan are expected to make the cut.
The second cabinet group will consist of up to 10 junior ministers, roles the government plans to call “secretaries of state” but which in the past have been “formally appointed as ministers of state to assist,” according to federal records.
“Secretaries of State are sworn to the Privy Council and are members of the Ministry. As such, they are bound by collective responsibility. They are not, however, members of the Cabinet. Secretaries of State are assigned to assist Cabinet Ministers in specific areas within their portfolios,” said a record of the roles when they were last used under former prime minister Jean Chretien.
“Secretaries of State are paid 75 per cent of a Cabinet Minister’s salary. For legal purposes, the Secretaries of State are formally appointed as Ministers of State to Assist.”
The job of a secretary of state in Carney’s cabinet will be to assist senior ministers in portfolios like natural resources and defence, sources say.
A top expectation for one of those roles is Châteauguay—Les Jardins-de-Napierville MP Nathalie Provost, a survivor of the Ecole Polytechnic shooting and a star candidate in Quebec.
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Other potential junior ministers are Toronto Centre MP Evan Solomon, the long-time broadcaster who’s also a close personal friend of Carney’s; Marc-Aurèle-Fortin MP Carlos Leitão, the former Quebec finance minister; and LaSalle—Émard—Verdun MP Claude Guay, the one-time CEO of IBM Canada.
Canadians will find out who’s secured a spot in cabinet when members are seen arriving at Rideau Hall ahead of Tuesday’s swearing-in ceremony.
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Carney not interested in power-sharing deal with NDP
How will the swearing-in ceremony work?
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m. eastern at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, and comes nearly two months to the day after Carney’s last one.
Carney himself will not have to retake the oath of office as prime minister as he was sworn in two months prior. However, he can choose to do so again, and if he chooses to add a ministerial portfolio to his responsibilities, he will have to take the oath of office for that role.
Following this, ministers-designate are then sworn in to their portfolios in an order determined by the prime minister, including those who may be changing or adding new roles.
Those who return to the same roles won’t have to take another oath but can choose to do so.
Those taking on a ministerial role for the first time must take the oath of allegiance, oath of the members of the Privy Council and oath of office.
How big could cabinet be?
When Carney’s first cabinet was sworn in, there were 23 members, not including the prime minister — down from well over 30 under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.
The Liberals have been elected or re-elected in 170 seats, though three are pending recounts that are expected to be finished after the cabinet is named.
The prime minister has committed to gender parity with his cabinet and said he would again have a smaller cabinet, though he did not say last week if it would remain at 23.
“I committed to an efficient cabinet, a focused cabinet, a cabinet with parity, gender parity, and we’ll work towards it,” Carney told reporters at his first post-election press conference.
Regional representation will also be a factor, as prime ministers often try to have cabinet members from all parts of the country.
It also remains to be seen whether Carney will choose members from Prince Edward Island or the three northern territories, none of which currently have cabinet representation.
What are some of the major roles?
Also at hand is whether Carney will keep some ministers in key roles related to Canada’s ongoing relationship with the U.S.
U.S. President Donald Trump’s trade war was a major focus for Canadians in the recent federal election, with polling done by Ipsos exclusively for Global News showing it was one of the top concerns shaping voters’ minds.
Trump himself has appeared to joke about helping Carney win the election.
LeBlanc, Joly and Champagne all joined Carney when he met with Trump last week in Washington.
All eyes will be on whether they remain in those roles, especially as Carney faces ongoing talks with Trump regarding the various tariffs imposed on Canada.
The prime minister will, however, have to replace his health minister, as Kamal Khera lost re-election.
Regardless of who is named to cabinet, Carney and his ministers will need to negotiate with other parties to pass legislation in a minority government.
Parliament is expected to return on May 26, with King Charles III set to deliver the throne speech on May 27, the first time since 1977 that a monarch has delivered the address.
“This is an historic honour which matches the weight of our times,” Carney said. “I made the request of His Majesty and he has accepted, he will open Parliament with the Speech from the Throne, and that clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country.”
—With files from Global’s Mercedes Stephenson and David Akin
