The Latest: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveils members of his new cabinet

Speaking to reporters outside Rideau Hall, Trudeau faced a barrage of questions about who was in, who was out, and where he placed some of the people elected on Oct. 21, including not making Quebec environmentalist Stephen Guilbeault the environment minister.

Trudeau says all ministers will be working on climate change and he’s pleased to have experts like Guilbeault to provide voice to the issue at the cabinet table.

He also says that Chrystia Freeland, tapped as deputy prime minister and intergovernmental-affairs minister, will handle all manner of issues facing all regions of the country.

The prime minister spoke about how he felt he and Freeland worked well together when she was foreign minister, and wanted to give her a post where the two could have a close working relationship again.

The new cabinet holds its first meeting on Thursday afternoon in Ottawa.

3:45 p.m.

Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer is slamming the new cabinet as a “bigger and more bloated version” of the one the Liberal government had going into the fall election.

That vote saw the Liberals lose their majority in the House of Commons, losing seats in Quebec and Atlantic Canada and being shut out entirely in Alberta and Saskatchewan.

Scheer says the results were a message to Trudeau to take a new approach and change course.

The Conservative leader says in a statement that Trudeau has wasted an opportunity for a new approach to governing with his cabinet selection.

Instead, Scheer says, the prime minister has “doubled down on the same faces and the same failures.”

Trudeau’s new team includes 36 ministers besides him — an increase of two from before the election —and has 17 from Ontario and 10 from Quebec.

3:20 p.m.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says the new titles for some ministers appear to be just buzzwords, standing for a real plan to address the challenges facing the country.

Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Singh cites the new minister of middle-class prosperity as an example.

The NDP leader says he wants to see a commitment from the government to Canadians worried about losing their jobs and making ends meet — a challenge he has issued in one form or another since election day.

Singh says he has no concerns about the ministers themselves, but wants to see them effectively address Canadians’ worries.

He points to environmental plans, saying he hasn’t seen any sign so far that the government will improve on the status quo on and provide clear plan for rapidly reducing greenhouse-gas emissions.

Singh says his caucus will work with the new cabinet if the ministers’ mandates match New Democrat priorities.

3:05 p.m.

Responses to the new cabinet are beginning to pour in.

Perrin Beatty, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce, says in a statement that the new cabinet will be closely watched to “how they come together to secure our future” and govern for all Canadians.

The same challenges face the country now as before the election, the statement says.

Several opposition MPs are beginning to send out messages of welcome to the ministers they will deal with when the House of Commons returns next month.

NDP MP Charlie Angus tweeted that he has great respect for Indigenous Services Minister Marc Miller and looks forward to working with him.

Conservative MP Karen Vecchio tweeted that Trudeau made some good choices for his cabinet, but questioned the “lack of regional representation.”

3 p.m.

The last of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet ministers have been sworn in to their new posts.

Anita Anand, has become minister of public works and put in charge of the government’s massive procurement file, while Mona Fortier has been named minister of middle-class prosperity — a new position in the expanded cabinet.

Carla Qualtrough is the country’s new employment minister in charge of the sprawling employment insurance system and skills training programs, which the Liberals are promising sweeping changes to, while Filomena Tassi is labour minister in charge of relations with unions.

The most emotional moment of the ceremony was when Dominic LeBlanc, who is battling cancer, received a standing ovation from his colleagues as he was sworn in as Privy Council president.

He has been treated in hospital in Montreal and spent most of the swearing-in wearing a surgical mask.

The low-profile post keeps him in cabinet but with a reduced workload.

1:50 p.m.

Weeks of rampant speculation about the members of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet has vanished as each gets sworn in at Rideau Hall.

The incoming cabinet consists of 36 ministers, not including the prime minister himself, and also has gender parity, following the standard Trudeau set in 2015.

In a statement, Trudeau calls his new cabinet a “strong, diverse and experienced team” that will be “working tirelessly for all Canadians.”

A few key ministers are not moving from their posts: Innovation Minister Navdeep Bains, Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett, Finance Minister Bill Morneau, Agriculture Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, Defence Minister Harjit Sajjan and Veterans Affairs Minister Lawrence MacAulay.

Others are taking on big portfolios: Ahmed Hussen becomes social-development minister, Marco Mendicino the immigration minister, Seamus O’Regan the minister of natural resources, Patty Hajdu the minister of health, and newcomer Marc Miller the minister of Indigenous services.

Two ministers who remain MPs have been removed from cabinet: Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who was health minister, is now deputy government whip; and Kirsty Duncan, the science and sport minister, becomes deputy leader of the government in the House of Commons.

Winnipeg MP Jim Carr is also not receiving a cabinet post as he battles cancer, but Trudeau is making him a special representative for the Prairies to be a voice in cabinet for Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

The Liberals were shut out of every riding in Saskatchewan and Alberta in the Oct. 21 vote.

New House leader Pablo Rodriguez will also be Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant.

1:15 p.m.

Two newly elected MPs have arrived at Rideau Hall, fresh off their first election victories and now about to become rookie cabinet ministers.

And both say they’re very honoured to be part of cabinet.

Anita Anand took the riding of Oakville, just outside Toronto, from the Conservatives in last month’s vote.

The University of Toronto law professor is telling reporters she can’t wait to participate in the Canadian government.

Likewise, Steven Guilbeault, expected to become heritage minister, says he is very honoured to be given a cabinet role.

Also arriving Rideau Hall is Dan Vandal, a Manitoba MP who may take over as a voice for the province as cabinet minister Jim Carr battles cancer.

Melanie Joly is also returning to cabinet, telling reporters she’s happy to have the prime minister’s trust to remain a minister, although she didn’t say what portfolio she will receive.

1 p.m.

Finance Minister Bill Morneau says he isn’t going anywhere within Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.

Speaking to reporters on his way into Rideau Hall for a swearing-in ceremony, Morneau says he’s excited to remain in the role he has held since first being elected in 2015.

He also says the government wants to put a focus on combating climate change, which he calls an important issue for all Canadians.

Morneau adds the government will want Canadians to see that it is going to work hard on their behalf.

But there are some new faces in cabinet making their way into Rideau Hall, including Ottawa-area MP Mona Fortier, and Deb Schulte, who was a parliamentary secretary heading into an election where she held her seat in the Greater Toronto Area.

Also making their way into Rideau Hall is Jonathan Wilkinson, who is expected to take over the environment portfolio from Catherine McKenna as she is shifted to infrastructure, and Marc Garneau who has been Trudeau’s transport minister.

12:45 p.m.

The new and returning members of Justin Trudeau’s cabinet are arriving at Rideau Hall.

A ceremony where Gov. Gen. Julie Payette will oversee the swearing-in of cabinet ministers is roughly 45 minutes away.

Unlike in 2015, when the swearing-in ceremony included outdoor screens and a public invitation, today’s event will be a more subdued ceremony, reflecting the sobering circumstances in which the governing party finds itself.

A number of the positions have already become public, including Chrystia Freeland as deputy prime minister and intergovernmental affairs minister, Francois-Philippe Champagne to foreign affairs, Catherine McKenna to infrastructure, and Jonathan Wilkinson to environment.

Among those making their way into Rideau Hall are Lawrence MacAulay, a long-time party stalwart who was veterans affairs minister, Bill Blair, in charge of combating organized crime and border security, Joyce Murray, the Treasury Board president, and Marco Mendicino, who had served as a parliamentary secretary before the election.

Speaking to reporters before the ceremony, a grinning Champagne is calling today a “great day,” seeing lots of challenges and opportunities ahead for the country.

Like cabinets during Trudeau’s first mandate, this one will have an equal number of men and women and attempt to balance regional, ethnic and religious considerations.

The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

The Latest: Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveils members of his new cabinet

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