Trudeau cabinet change: few surprises as BC ministers switch portfolios

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There were few surprises for British Columbia members of parliament in Tuesday’s cabinet appointments, but the province retained four government ministries, including the crucial environment portfolio.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeau removed Vancouver-South MP Harjit Sajjan from his post as Defense Minister after allegations of sexual misconduct in the military led to repeated calls for his removal. Sajjan received the portfolio of minister of international development.

The move was a demotion, according to Richard Johnston, a professor emeritus in UBC’s political science department. “He had clearly become a drag. He had been there a long time and things were getting worse. “

Johnston said the real question remains why Sajjan remained in the cabinet, suggesting that geographic balance and the need to maintain at least four ministries in British Columbia may have played a role.

Sajjan will be replaced by former procurement minister Anita Anand, a congresswoman from Oakville, Ontario, who is widely credited with the success of the vaccine launch in Canada. Anand is only the second woman in Canadian history to hold the position; the first was former Prime Minister Kim Campbell.

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Other cabinet changes among BC MPs point to Trudeau’s commitment to the climate and the environment, Johnston said.

North Vancouver MP Jonathan Wilkinson was removed from the environment portfolio and appointed to the ministry of natural resources. Former Greenpeace member Steven Guilbeault of Quebec replaces him as Environment Minister.

Guilbeault has served as Canadian Heritage Minister since 2019 and represents the Montreal leadership of Laurier-Sainte-Marie.

The appointment of Guilbeault to the environmental portfolio and Wilkinson, who has a background in clean energy, to the natural resources portfolio indicates a tangible commitment to the climate agenda and is “absolutely linked” to the upcoming G20 summits in Rome and the Conference. Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP26) in Glasgow, Johnston said.

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The appointment of Vancouver-Quadra MP Joyce Murray as Canada’s fisheries, oceans and Coast Guard minister came as a surprise, Johnston said, but could herald a “transfer approach from the east coast to west coast fisheries.” .

Murray replaces Bernadette Jordan, who lost her bid for reelection in her Nova Scotia career.

Delta MP Carla Qualtrough remains minister for employment, workforce development and disability inclusion. Qualtrough is one of ten ministers to hold her position.

While BC did not get any portfolios, Johnston said he retained his role as a “middleweight actor”, adding that “BC has a presence in this administration that is more substantial than with previous liberal governments.”

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Johnston cited the federal Liberal Party’s “urban agenda,” a bitter relationship with Alberta, Vancouver’s growing population, and the provincial government’s good relationship with Ottawa as contributing factors to the province’s growing influence.

“Liberals are the party of the cities now, and there is a feeling that Liberals are looking west in a way that they haven’t since 2015,” Johnston said. “Metro Vancouver is going to grow, it will probably have another seat soon, it is densifying and urbanizing, and there is a lot to bargain for here.”

Four cabinet ministers are from BC, 16 from Ontario, 11 from Quebec, and none from the Northwest Territories or the Yukon. Manitoba, Alberta, Nova Scotia, and PEI each have one cabinet minister, Newfoundland and New Brunswick each have two. Saskatchewan and Nunavut did not elect liberals in the 2021 federal elections.

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