Mark Carney Becomes Canada’s 24th Prime Minister – Slashes Cabinet by More Than One-Third

Five days after becoming the Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada and Prime Minister Designate, Mark Carney and his cabinet were sworn in at Rideau Hall by Governor General Mary Simon.  

Carney’s 24-member Cabinet, including the Prime Minister, is the smallest since Jean Chrétien’s in 1995. It is reduced from the 39 cabinet members under Trudeau.   

In a break from regional representation, there are no ministers from Alberta, Saskatchewan, PEI, or the North. The Cabinet includes 12 men and 11 women, a deliberate break from Trudeau’s high-profile commitment to gender parity. There is also only one minister from BC, despite the province being the third most populous.  

These choices reflect Carney’s wish to differentiate himself from Trudeau, compounded by limited options with many MPs not running again, and the expectation that the Liberals will be headed to the polls soon. In addition, Carney is deliberately recruiting star candidates who could be swapped in if the Liberals win the next election.   

Carney is expected to return to Rideau Hall within days to call a federal election prior to the scheduled return of Parliament from prorogation on March 24, with an election day as soon as April 28.  

A Caretaker Cabinet Appointed to “Meet the Moment” 

The Prime Minister’s trimmed down cabinet keeps Ministers LeBlanc, Joly, MacKinnon, and McGuinty the key interfaces with President Trump’s administration. François-Philippe Champagne, the long-time Trudeau Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, supported Carney in the leadership race and is now the Minister of Finance.  

Carney’s leadership rival, Chrystia Freeland, takes over a lower profile role in Transport and Internal Trade. Third-place candidate Karina Gould, who positioned to run for leader again down the road, was not offered a cabinet position.    

While many members of the new cabinet held ministerial roles in the past, absent are several long-time Trudeau ministers including Jean-Yves Duclos, Diane Lebouthillier, and Marc Miller. 

There are several newcomers to the cabinet as well, with Kody Blois, Ali Ehsassi, and Arielle Kayabaga joining the table. Meanwhile, several ministers remain in largely unchanged portfolios, including Bill Blair, Patty Hajdu, Jonathan Wilkinson, Nate Erskine-Smith, and Ginette Petitpas-Taylor. 

Carney’s approach to building his team is based on a few strategic considerations:  

• To be seen as focused on the economy and reflecting the tighter budgets of Canadian households 

• Maintaining continuity on critical international files, reflected in the choice to leave Dominic LeBlanc and Melanie Joly in senior roles  

• Shoring up the appeal to Quebec voters of a government led by an anglophone by appointing francophones to key posts, particularly finance 

• Signaling he will diverge from unpopular Trudeau policies, such as the consumer carbon price and moving Steven Guilbeault out of the environment portfolio and adding the word “energy” to Minister Wilkinson’s portfolio 

Notable changes to the cabinet include:  

• François-Philippe Champagne as Minister of Finance 

• Dominic LeBlanc as Minister of International Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs, and the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada 

• Gary Anandasangaree as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, and Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs 

• Chrystia Freeland as Minister of Transport and Internal Trade 

• Anita Anand as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry 

• Steven Guilbeault as Minister of Canadian Culture and Identity, Parks Canada, and Quebec Lieutenant 

• Kody Blois as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development 

• Rachel Bendayan as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship 

• Kamal Khera as Minister of Health 

• Terry Duguid as Minister of Environment and Climate Change 

• Ali Ehsassi as Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services, and Procurement 

The full list of members of the cabinet can be found here.  

Smaller Government in Action 

With the appointment of a much smaller cabinet, Prime Minister Carney is putting into action his commitment to a smaller and more efficient government. A variety of departments have been re-aligned under broader portfolios, most notably at Employment and Social Development, and the return of International Development to Foreign Affairs.  

Between this and the smaller cabinet, Carney is trying to clearly signal a break from Trudeau’s approach and an intent to reduce the size of government.  

Carney’s Cabinet: A Return to the Trudeau Winning Voter Coalition 

The Carney Cabinet reflects the regions where the Liberals feel the next election will be won or lost. 11 of the 24 ministers are from Ontario, 6 are from Quebec, and 4 are from Atlantic Canada. The Quebec ministers also hold senior roles including Finance, Foreign Affairs, Employment and Social Development, and Immigration.  While the Liberals are making polling gains across Canada and shrinking what was a substantial polling lead by the Conservative Party, the key to a fourth consecutive electoral victory will come from Quebec, Ontario, and Atlantic Canada.  

At the same time, Carney is attempting to recruit new candidates with high profiles across the country. For example, it was reported that former Quebec Premier Jean Charest was asked to run but declined. However, former BC Premier Christy Clark is said to be contemplating running. Other candidates are being recruited and considering their options. With roughly 180 ridings requiring Liberal candidates at the time of writing, there is room for a very different Liberal caucus post-election.  

Against the backdrop of the swearing in ceremony, Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre took to X stating that “87% of Carney’s ministers were Trudeau’s ministers” and that “100% of Carney’s ministers were in Trudeau’s caucus.” Poilievre’s strategy around Carney and his cabinet’s appointment today is to tie them as closely as possible to Justin Trudeau and his record. We can expect to see more of this in the coming weeks. 

As we head into what looks like an imminent election, it will be up to Canadians to decide if enough has been done to shift the Liberal Party of Canada away from Trudeau and his government.  However, given the chaos being inflicted on Canada from our neighbour to the south, the ballot question may have shifted from “time for change” to “who can best stand up for Canada.”