Prime Minister Mark Carney made changes to his cabinet on Monday, appointing a former minister from the Trudeau era and assigning additional responsibilities to two current ministers. Marc Miller now holds the position of Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, as well as Official Languages. Joël Lightbound, the Minister of Public Works and Procurement, also takes on the role of Carney’s Quebec lieutenant. Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, expands her portfolio to include parks and nature, tasks previously held by the former minister Steven Guilbeault who recently resigned from the cabinet.
Miller, who previously oversaw immigration and Indigenous services under Justin Trudeau, expressed his excitement about returning to the cabinet after not being initially appointed by Carney. Lightbound, elected in 2015, had served as a parliamentary secretary and was given his first cabinet post after the April election. Similarly, Dabrusin, who had been a parliamentary secretary under Trudeau, was promoted to cabinet by Carney earlier in the year.
Lightbound expressed his gratitude for being chosen as the prime minister’s Quebec lieutenant, emphasizing the significance of the role in federal and Quebec politics. Both Miller and Lightbound commended Guilbeault for his past work. Guilbeault resigned from his position due to disagreements over an agreement with Alberta regarding a new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast.
Carney has made adjustments to environmental policies introduced during Trudeau’s tenure, including suspending the consumer carbon tax on his first day as prime minister. Guilbeault highlighted the importance of these measures in combating climate change in his resignation statement. Despite resigning from the cabinet, Guilbeault remains a Liberal MP.
Miller expressed confidence in caucus unity following Guilbeault’s departure, attributing the party’s election success to Carney. Carney’s recent cabinet changes mark the second shuffle since the April election. Chrystia Freeland, former Transport and Internal Trade Minister, left her position in September, signaling her intent to exit federal politics. Carney redistributed Freeland’s responsibilities, assigning the internal trade file to Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and the transport file to House Leader Steven Mackinnon. Freeland, who held various cabinet roles, including finance under Trudeau, ran against Carney for the Liberal leadership but came in second place.