Prime Minister Justin Trudeau shuffled his cabinet on Friday morning to fill the vacancy created by Jody Wilson-Raybould's departure over the SNC-Lavalin controversy, in a move that saw three Ministers get new titles.
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay will take over the Veterans Affairs portfolio. Having served previously as Secretary of State for Veterans Affairs, he’s experienced on the file. MacAulay is a household name for the Liberals, having celebrated 25 years on Parliament Hill this fall. He has announced that he will run for re-election in 2019 for the 10th time. Macaulay has, among other roles, served as the Liberal Party Critic for Fisheries and Oceans, Minister of Labour and Solicitor General of Canada. One of the Minister's main duties will be to prepare the commemoration of the 75th anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy on June 6th, 2019.
Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau, previously Minister of International Development will serve as Minister of Agriculture & Agri-food Canada. She is the Member of Parliament for Compton-Stanstead, a rural riding in the Eastern Townships of Quebec. One of her biggest files will be compensation to supply managed sectors for the recently signed free trade agreements. Bibeau is no stranger to this sector, having almost 270 dairy farms in her riding. She is the first female Minister of Agriculture & Agri-foods.
Already the Minister for Women and Gender Equality, MP for Peterborough—Kawartha Maryam Monsef will take on the international development portfolio as part of her existing duties. As Minister of International Development, Monsef will be responsible for the delivery of $53 million in international assistance for Venezuelans affected by the ongoing crisis in the country.
For more information, please contact:
Brett James, Principal
bjames@sussex-strategy.com
Devin McCarty, Vice President, Federal and Energy Practices
dmccarthy@sussex-strategy.com
Hugues Théorêt, Senior Associate, Federal Government Relations
htheoret@sussex-strategy.com
Roberto Chavez, Associate, Federal Government Relations
rchavez@sussex-strategy.com
