Winners, losers from the federal cabinet shuffle
OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his front benches Wednesday to install the roster of ministers that will be entrusted with leading the Liberal team into next year’s election. Here’s a look at some of the winners and losers of the shuffle, and areas where the jury is still out:
Winners
Pablo Rodriguez – The four-term MP from Quebec and current chief government whip takes over as heritage minister from Melanie Joly. Now the first-time minister just needs to find a way to appease Quebecers angry at the government’s deal with Netflix. The agreement didn’t require the online streaming giant pay a content levy to fund production of Canadian content, which has sparked fears it will push out Quebec companies that do have to charge tax. Netflix has agreed to invest $500 million into Canadian programming over the next five years, but critics say there is nothing binding the company to its promise to create French-language content. The issue is seen as one of the Liberals’ biggest Achilles heels in the province heading into the 2019 federal election.
Mary Ng and Bill Blair — Ng’s star is rising, as the Toronto MP becomes minister of small business just over a year after being elected to Parliament in a byelection. Former Toronto police chief Blair is being rewarded with the new post of minister of border security and organized crime reduction for helping the Liberals stickhandle the legalization of recreational marijuana.