Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a major cabinet overhaul on Wednesday with the stated goal of strengthening his economic team ahead of upcoming legislative elections.It could be the last shakeup before an election, which is not due until the second half of 2025 but could come earlier.Weakened in the polls, the man who has led a minority Liberal government since 2021 changed more than two-thirds of his political inner circle, with seven new recruits joining the cabinet and around 20 ministers reassigned to new roles.The shake-up comes as Trudeau renews his focus on the economy as a way to counter inflation and tackle the country’s housing crisis."These are big challenges and you can’t pick and choose between them. So putting forward the strongest possible economic team with the strongest possible players in all the files that are going to matter to Canadians, this is what this day is about," said Trudeau, who has led the country for nearly eight years.He combined the portfolios of housing and infrastructure, to be run by Sean Fraser, the former minister of immigration.In another key change, Anita Anand, the country’s first female minister of defence, joins the economic team as head of Canada’s Treasury Board.She is replaced at defence by Bill Blair, an ex-police chief and former minister of public safety.Major portfolios including finance, foreign affairs and environment remain unchanged.Recent controversies surrounding Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino, though, have cost him his place in the cabinet.Opposition parties seized on the shake-up, accusing Trudeau of failing to address the country’s rising cost of living.The official opposition Conservatives, who blame Trudeau for housing shortage and spiking inflation, have consistently been ahead in the polls for over year."His record is one of failure, and he is shuffling nearly his entire cabinet in a desperate attempt to distract from all that he has broken," conservative Pierre Poilievre, leader of the opposition, said in a statement."Justin Trudeau may have fired many of his cabinet ministers today, but he’s just as out of touch as ever, doubling down on his inflationary, high-spending and high-taxing ways," he said in a statement.An Abacus Data survey out on Wednesday showed the party opening up an unusually big lead on the Liberals with 38% to 28% in public support, enough to ensure Trudeau’s defeat if an election were held now.For Canada’s New Democratic Party, with whom the Liberals are in a governing alliance until 2025, the reshuffle "will change nothing" regarding the housing crisis.New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh, asked about Trudeau’s comments, said: "We are focused on getting results for people, not forcing an election."The government also announced the creation of a National Security Council, established to address urgent issues relating to Canada’s security, and which follows the example of several allied nations."This is not tinkering. It is a major reset," said Frank Graves, president of polling company Ekos. "The shuffle does send a clear message that the government is aware that their current standing with the electorate is not healthy."Shachi Kurl, president of the Angus Reid Institute polling company, said an election was most likely not imminent."No amount of shuffling can ‘refresh’ a government and PM who have been around for eight years," she said. "With the Conservatives leading the Liberals by a handful of points in the latest polls, the best thing the Liberals can do is run the clock and hope cost of living is no longer a ballot issue by the time they do seek another mandate."
July 28, 2023 | 12:41 AM