It’s Cabinet Shuffle Day, and the “leaks” and PMO lines are that it will be more than 50 percent new faces, though it sounds like some of the key players—Dominic LeBlanc, Chrystia Freeland, David McGuinty, Anita Anand—are staying put. CTV had two sources tell them Freeland was out before being told that no, she’s staying. It also sounds like Sean Fraser will get back in, as it was the understanding for him running again after saying he was going to retire to spend more time with his family. One also has to wonder about Nathaniel Erskine-Smith in a similar boat, so we’ll see. New faces are supposed to include Gregor Robertson and Carlos Leitao, and you can bet that Buckly Belanger from Saskatchewan will have a role, as will either of the two Alberta MPs. (More rumours and speculation from the National Post, The Canadian Press, CBC, the Star, and the Globe and Mail).
It was also confirmed that it will return to a tiered structure, with a smaller core of ministers, with other portfolios likely being given to secretaries of state (who are subordinate to ministers) rather that ministers of state (who can have their own departments like regional development portfolios or certain agencies). This is in part where the commitment to gender parity will become apparent—will there be women leading in major portfolios, or will there be a disproportionate number of women relegated to secretaries/ministers of state? Trudeau decided to make everyone ministers to ensure that they were all equal in rank and salary, and that there was less of a “pink ghetto” effect with second-tier appointments. Carney will have to work to avoid playing into that effect (which is also an example of formal versus substantive equality.
Meanwhile, Jennifer Robson has some thoughts on the probable structure of Cabinet we’ll see.
Ukraine Dispatch
Russia launched over 100 drones overnight after president Zelenskyy called Putin’s bluff on peace talks in Istanbul.
Good reads:
- Things in the Terrebonne recount could get even more interesting because a mail-in ballot was rejected because Election Canada erred on the postal code.
- Here is an explanation of the recount process.
- AFN national chief Cindy Woodhouse wants the clean water legislation brought back, and a review of the 1930s transfer of control of natural resources to provinces.
- Environmental groups want Carney to pick a lane between continuing environmental commitments or increasing oil and gas extraction.
- Gun control group PolySeSouvient is calling for rapid implementation of Carney’s gun control commitments.
- Here is a photo series on the impact that the US’ withdrawal of foreign aid is having on places like Sudan.
- Here is a look back at the success the Liberals had in Quebec, including in ridings that they would have considered hostile.
- Danielle Smith announced a unilateral and indefinite freeze of the province’s carbon price, setting up a fight with the federal government (and Supreme Court).
- The group leading the push for the separatism referendum has released their question and expectations, and it’s based entirely in fantasy.
- David Eby’s bill to swiftly approve certain resource projects is running afoul of First Nations, environmentalists, and the Green Party whose votes he may need.
- Mike Moffatt’s Missing Middle Initiative calls on the federal government to ensure their housing plans pay more attention to home ownership than just rentals.
- Thomas Juneau, Vincent Rigby and Stephanie Carvin point to the need for the government to finally creates a foreign intelligence service.
- Paul Wells has a few words of advice for the two main party leaders in the weeks ahead, if this really is a transformational time in Canadian politics.
Odds and ends:
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