Cabinet shuffle expected Wednesday as ministers announce they won’t seek re-election

OTTAWA — With Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expected to shuffle his cabinet as early as Wednesday,a string of Liberal ministers have confirmed they will not run in the next federal election. 

Fisheries Minister Joyce Murray, Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, Public Services and Procurement Minister Helena Jaczek and Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett all announced this week that they will not seek re-election. 

A government source with knowledge of the matter said the cabinet shuffle would happen as soon as Wednesday. They were granted anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about it publicly.

Trudeau spent Monday and Tuesday holding private meetings in the capital, while several other ministers cancelled public events — both signs of an impending shake-up.

Appearances by Housing Minister Ahmed Hussen, Treasury Board President Mona Fortier and Official Languages Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor were dropped early this week. 

Another source with knowledge of the cabinet shuffle said that all ministers who are able to be in Ottawa will make an appearance at the Governor General’s residence, Rideau Hall — the usual venue for announcements about new ministers. That includes ministers who are not being shuffled.

Trudeau and the new ministers will speak to the press following the announcement, and then cabinet is expected to gather for a meeting, said the source, who could not speak publicly about the events.

The last time Trudeau shuffled his cabinet in a significant way was in 2021. Experts say the expected adjustments this week will show who Trudeau wants with him on the battleground.

“This is the cabinet that the government is going to be taking into the next election,” said Jeni Armstrong, an instructor in the Clayton Riddell graduate program in political management at Carleton University.

“So what I’m looking for is files that really matter to Canadians: cost of living, affordability, housing, increasingly.”

Armstrong, who was lead speechwriter for Trudeau and helped author the Liberal party’s election platform in 2015 and 2019, said the government is going to be looking for their strongest communicators to fill those files. 

“People who can really connect with Canadians, who can understand what folks are going through and who can bring those stories back to the cabinet table as well,” she said. 

The next federal election must take place by October 2025, per fixed election date provisions in the law. But it could be called well before then. 

Trudeau’s minority government is currently being propped up by the New Democrats through a confidence-and-supply agreement. The NDP agreed to support the minority Liberals on key House of Commons votes through 2025 in exchange for movement on shared priorities.

NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he doesn’t think the shuffle will bring any significant change to the party’s relationship with the Liberals. 

“We’ve been using the power that we have to force this government to act and we’ve been able to deliver some concrete things, and we’ll continue to do that,” Singh said at a press conference in Northwest Territories on Tuesday. 

Both Singh and Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said a shuffle won’t make people forget the government’s record since Trudeau came into power in fall 2015.

“Why don’t we shuffle Justin Trudeau while we’re at it. Shuffle him out,” Poilievre said during a rally in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Monday. 

Poilievre has called on Trudeau to fire Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino over his office’s handling of knowledge that serial killer Paul Bernardo was being transferred to a medium-security prison from a maximum-security institution.

During a stop in Kingston, Ont., last week, Trudeau was asked about his confidence in Mendicino. 

“I have an amazing team in Ottawa and an amazing group of MPs right across the country who are committed to serving their country every single day. And anyone in my cabinet, by definition, has my confidence,” Trudeau said. 

Armstrong said she isn’t surprised by the recent string of resignations, because cabinet jobs can be a grind. But empty seats could pave the way for a renewal after nearly eight years in power.

Jaczek, who was first elected in 2019, announced she won’t be seeking re-election on Tuesday, saying she would continue to serve her Markham-Stouffville constituency until the next election. 

She was previously the minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario.

Alghabra, who was first elected in 2006, also announced his decision on Twitter, saying it came “after a lot of reflection.” 

“As a result of this decision, I’m also stepping aside from my role as minister because the prime minister deserves a cabinet who is committed to running in the next federal campaign,” Alghabra said in a video posted on Twitter. 

He said he will continue to support Trudeau’s vision going forward. 

Alghabra has served as Transport minister since 2021. 

Murray, who was first elected in 2008, was the third to make her announcement on Twitter Tuesday. 

“After much thought and reflection, I have decided not to run again in the next election after my current term,” she said. 

“My work in politics and time serving my community both federally and provincially as an elected official has been the honour of my life.”

It was a reversal from what she told reporters in late June, when she said on Parliament Hill that she would be the Liberal candidate for Vancouver Quadra in the next federal election. 

Murray previously served as minister of digital government and also served in the British Columbia provincial cabinet. 

Bennett made her own announcement about ending her career as a member of Parliament on Monday. 

She has served in the House of Commons since 1997.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 25, 2023. 

— With files from Stephanie Taylor.

Mickey Djuric, The Canadian Press