OTTAWA – Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland’s abrupt departure from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet on Monday resulted in a mini cabinet shuffle, with Dominic LeBlanc stepping into the role.
It is the latest in a string of small shuffles Trudeau has been forced to make in recent months to replace ministers who have made clear they won’t be seeking re-election. Several others who indicated publicly in October that they won’t run again have yet to be replaced.
Here’s a look at who is on that list:
Chrystia Freeland
A loyal stalwart in the Trudeau inner circle, Freeland saw the Liberals through difficult trade negotiations Donald Trump during his first term in the White House, when he ended NAFTA.
After helping usher in the Canada-U.S.-Mexico Agreement, Freeland was eventually promoted to deputy prime minister and finance minister.
She had been leading the government’s public response to Trump’s re-election since the vote happened in November.
In her statement on Monday, Freeland made it clear she and Trudeau have not seen eye-to-eye on how to deal with a second Trump administration and its threat to impose a 25 per cent tariff on Canadian imports.
“We need to take that threat extremely seriously. That means keeping our fiscal powder dry today, so we have the reserves we may need for a coming tariff war. That means eschewing costly political gimmicks, which we can ill afford and which make Canadians doubt that we recognize the gravity of the moment,” she said in a resignation letter she shared on social media.
Freeland and Trudeau disagreed about the decision to temporarily exempt some products from the GST over the holidays.
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Sean Fraser
The housing minister’s announcement that he does not plan to run in the next federal election was largely overshadowed by Freeland’s bombshell news hours later.
But the former immigration minister has also been seen as a strong communicator, a rising star, and a potential contender in the future race to replace Trudeau — whenever, and however, that comes to pass.
He told reporters on Monday he came to the decision months ago, while he was recovering from a back surgery operation and was spending more time with his kids at home. He called it an “opportunity to transition to being a father who’s more available to his kids.”
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Randy Boissonnault
The Edmonton MP left his role as employment minister on Nov. 20, following a scandal that grew out of questions over his claims of Indigenous identity and his business dealings.
Media investigations into his business dealings revealed that a business he co-founded before the 2021 election had described itself as wholly Indigenous-owned in order to apply for government contracts set aside for Indigenous businesses.
Boissonnault was described as Indigenous multiple times in communications from the Liberal party and has referred to himself as “non-status adopted Cree” and said his great-grandmother was a “full-blooded Cree woman.”
He has since clarified that his adoptive mother and brother are Métis and apologized for his shifting claims, telling a House of Commons committee he is not Indigenous.
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Dan Vandal
On Oct. 17, the Northern affairs minister said he had decided not run in the next election, whenever it is held.
After nearly 30 years in office, Vandal said it was “time to move on to the next stage in my life” and said serving as a cabinet minister was a tremendous privilege.
He also indicated he was “working with the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure an orderly transition of my cabinet positions.”
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Carla Qualtrough
On the same day of Vandal’s announcement, Sport Minister Carla Qualtrough also released a statement on social media, saying that she, too, planned to step aside when the next election was called.
Qualtrough offered few details except to say that it was time for her to move on. She also thanked her family and the prime minister.
She had previously served as minister of public services and procurement, and minister of employment, workforce development and disability inclusion.
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Filomena Tassi
The minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario won’t run in the next election.
She had previously stepped back from the more demanding portfolio of public services and procurement, which she held from October 2021 until August 2022, so she could stay closer to her Hamilton home after her husband suffered two strokes.
Tassi has also served as minister of seniors and minister of labour.
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Marie-Claude Bibeau
The national revenue minister also plans to step aside when the next election is called.
Bibeau, who was agriculture and agri-food minister from 2019 to 2023, is planning to run for the mayor of Sherbrooke, Que., next fall.
For now, Bibeau, Tassi, Qualtrough and Vandal remain in cabinet.
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Pablo Rodriguez
Rodriguez stepped down as transport minister and quit the Liberal caucus on Sept. 19, when he announced his intention to run for the Quebec Liberal leadership.
He is sitting as an Independent MP until the provincial leadership race begins in January.
Rodriguez was swiftly replaced: Treasury Board President Anita Anand added transport minister to her title the same day, while Public Services and Procurement Minister Jean-Yves Duclos became the government’s new Quebec lieutenant.
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Seamus O’Regan
On July 18, O’Regan announced that he was leaving his post as labour minister and did not plan to run in the next election.
Elected in 2015, the Newfoundland MP joined cabinet in 2017 as veterans affairs minister, the first of five different portfolios he held. He was also for a time minister of Indigenous Services, natural resources and seniors.
The statement he released to announce his resignation said his family comes first and he needed to be a better husband, son, uncle and friend.
The government’s front bench was quickly shuffled to move Steven MacKinnon into the labour file.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 16, 2024.
