Canada’s new Prime Minister Mark Carney said the country is in a “moment of crisis” as it grapples with a trade war launched by its closest ally, the United States.
Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, officially took over from Justin Trudeau, who resigned as prime minister earlier Friday, at a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Gov. Gen. Mary Simon presided over the ceremony, which also saw Carney reveal 23 cabinet ministers — a much smaller group than Trudeau’s cabinet, which had 39 members, including him.
In his first press conference as prime minister on Friday, Carney said the “leaner cabinet” will be “action-oriented,” focusing on protecting Canadians in the face of “unjustified foreign trade actions.”
“The cabinet is much smaller because it’s focused on the issues that are most important to Canadians, meeting the moment, and the moment is a moment of crisis,” Carney said.
Prime Minister Mark Carney waves after being sworn in as Gov. Gen. Mary Simon looks on at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang
Carney’s cabinet comprises 13 men and 11 women.
Some current ministers primarily dealing with the United States will keep their roles. These include Public Safety Minister David McGuinty and Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly.
Dominic LeBlanc will remain as minister of intergovernmental affairs and also becomes minister of international trade, while his finance portfolio goes to Francois-Philippe Champagne, who is the new finance minister.
Carney, who is not a member of Parliament, is expected to seek a seat in the House of Commons in short order, and speculation is high that he could trigger a snap election quickly.
He did not indicate whether an early election will be called, but said: “There will be other news in the coming days with respect to ensuring that we have as strong a mandate that is needed for the time.”
Carney gave some brief remarks to reporters before the ceremony, saying, “We’re going to get straight to work.”
“We’re a very focused government. We’re focused on action,” he said.
Carney was set to chair a meeting of the new cabinet Friday afternoon.
The new cabinet comprises many of the same names as the previous one under Trudeau, though smaller.
Some ministers have been shuffled to new roles.
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Here is the complete list:
- Mark Carney – prime minister
- Anita Anand – minister of innovation, science and industry
- Gary Anandasangaree – minister of Crown-Indigenous and northern affairs, minister of justice and attorney general of Canada
- Rachel Bendayan – minister of immigration, refugees and citizenship
- Bill Blair – minister of national defence
- Kody Blois – minister of agriculture and agri-food and rural economic development
- Élisabeth Brière – minister of veterans affairs and minister responsible for the Canada Revenue Agency
- François-Philippe Champagne – minister of finance
- Terry Duguid – minister of environment and climate change
- Ali Ehsassi – minister of government transformation, public services and procurement
- Nathaniel Erskine-Smith – minister of housing, infrastructure and communities
- Chrystia Freeland – minister of transport and internal trade
- Steven Guilbeault – minister of Canadian culture and identity, Parks Canada and Quebec lieutenant
- Patty Hajdu – minister of Indigenous services
- Mélanie Joly – minister of foreign affairs and international development
- Arielle Kayabaga – government House leader and minister of democratic institutions
- Kamal Khera – minister of health
- Dominic LeBlanc – minister of international trade and intergovernmental affairs and president of the King’s Privy Council of Canada
- Steven MacKinnon – minister of jobs and families
- David McGuinty – minister of public safety and emergency preparedness
- Ginette Petitpas-Taylor – president of the Treasury Board
- Joanne Thompson – minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
- Rechie Valdez – chief government whip
- Jonathan Wilkinson – minister of energy and natural resources
Prime Minister Mark Carney, front fourth from left, poses with members of the newly sworn-in Liberal cabinet following a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick
Several high-profile names are out of the cabinet, such as Mark Holland, who was previously the health minister and announced on Thursday that he will not run again for election, and Jean-Yves Duclos, who served as the public services and procurement minister under Trudeau’s government.
Mary Ng, formerly the international trade minister, and Marc Miller, who led the immigration portfolio, are also out.
Several previous portfolios have been scrapped, including tourism, women and gender equality and youth, seniors and sport.
Trudeau announced his resignation in January after more than nine years in power and asked to prorogue the Parliament until March 24.
On his last day in office, Trudeau shared a video message on his social media, saying: “I’m proud to have served a country full of people who stand up for what’s right, rise to every occasion and always have each other’s backs when it matters most.”
The change in leadership comes at a time of trade uncertainty with Canada’s closest ally as U.S. President Donald Trump has slapped tariffs on Ottawa and threatened more to come.
Carney said he currently has no plans to go to the U.S., but he looks forward to speaking to Trump at the “appropriate moment,” adding that he understands his agenda.
“We’ll both be looking out for our countries, but he knows and I know from long experience that we can find mutual solutions that win for both,” Carney said on Friday.
Carney has said he’ll keep Canada’s counter-tariffs in place until “the Americans show us respect and make credible, reliable commitments to free and fair trade.”
Carney’s Liberal leadership campaign has outlined plans to build a stronger and united economy that would remove interprovincial trade barriers.
He has also vowed to diversify and expand Canada’s trading relationships with “reliable” partners and beef up security at the borders.
Shrugging off Trump’s repeated remarks about Canada becoming the 51st U.S. state, Carney reiterated that Canada will never be part of the U.S.
“We’re masters in our own home. We’re in charge,” he said.
Opposition reacts to Carney’s cabinet
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the Liberals are “trying to trick Canadians into electing them for a fourth term in power with a cabinet that is 87 per cent the same as Trudeau’s cabinet.”
“It’s the same Liberal gang with the same Liberal agenda, the same Liberal results and the same Liberal promises of the last 10 years,” he said in a press conference in Ottawa Friday afternoon.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the new Carney cabinet was not representative enough and left out key portfolios such as labour, women’s issues and youth affairs.
“He does not have a minister for labour. Even [former prime minister] Stephen Harper had a minister for labour,” Singh told reporters in Ottawa.
“His plan is to ignore the plight of working people.”
Carney did appoint MacKinnon as the minister of jobs and families.
MacKinnon held the title of minister of employment, workforce development and labour in the Trudeau cabinet.
Singh also pointed out the absence of Karina Gould, Carney’s competitor in the Liberal leadership race, in the cabinet as a snub to the progressive wing of the party.
“It’s showing that a Mark Carney government is a race to the right,” Singh added.
— with files from Motorcycle accident toronto today’ Uday Rana