Cabinet shuffle to see new foreign affairs, environment ministers, house leader: report

By Cormac Mac Sweeney

OTTAWA (NEWS 1130) – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will be naming his new cabinet Wednesday, but details of some of the major changes are already being leaked.

CBC is reporting that Chrystia Freeland is out as foreign affairs minister, and will be replaced by Quebec MP François-Philippe Champagne, who previously served as minister of international trade.

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Political analyst Stephanie Plante says the choice makes sense.

“Not a surprise that he would be tapped for that role. He does have a lot of international business experience, so this is kind of something right up his alley,” she says.

B.C. MP Jonathan Wilkinson, who had been serving as Fisheries Minister, will take over the environment file from Catherine McKenna.

Plant says Wilkinson was raised in Saskatchewan and worked in the provincial government, which may help address some Western alienation.

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“I think it will help to have someone with a bit of Western cred. I think it will help push the reset button,” she says.

It’s not yet clear what will happen with Freeland or McKenna, but Plante believes they will be given other prominent roles.

Quebec MP Pablo Rodríguez has also reportedly been tapped as a new government house leader, a critical file in a minority government.

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