It’s only two days until the new federal cabinet is sworn in. Who exactly is going to be in the cabinet is a closely-guarded secret.
So we thought we’d turn it over to you. We’ve put together a list of some of the top candidates for some of the most vital posts, given Trudeau’s early goals. Who do you think should get the job?
Finance
As probably the most prestigious cabinet post, Finance will likely go to someone with previous legislative experience, but you never know. Here are some of the candidates:
Scott Brison
Brison has been a member of Parliament since 1997, and has served in the past as minister of Public Works and Government Services. He’s also a former investment banker.
Bill Morneau
Morneau is the former executive chair of the massive human resources firm Morneau Shepell, and has serious Bay Street connections. However, he’s a newbie to the political scene.
Ralph Goodale
Goodale is a veteran MP and he’s even got experience as Minister of Finance. But picking Goodale for this vital post wouldn’t exactly signal change.
Foreign Affairs
Foreign Affairs is also a prestigious post, and Trudeau has lots to do on the international scene, probably early in his mandate.
Chrystia Freeland
Freeland is a newcomer to politics, but has extensive experience abroad as a reporter in Eastern Europe and has also written on economic issues.
Dominic LeBlanc
LeBlanc has been an MP since 2000 and has served in the past as a parliamentary secretary and as opposition critic for international trade and foreign affairs.
Catherine McKenna
McKenna is also new to politics, but she was once a legal advisor for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor, and founded Canadian Lawyers Abroad.
National Defence
Ongoing crises in Syria and to a lesser extent, eastern Europe, as well as various military procurement files mean that the incoming minister of National Defence will be busy.
Andrew Leslie
As a retired lieutenant-general in the Canadian Forces, Leslie certainly knows the file. However, he might be a little too close to the subject matter and the people in the department to be seriously considered for the job.
Marc Garneau
Former astronaut Garneau is also a former naval captain, so he has military experience. He also has lots of political experience, having first been elected in 2008 and served as party critic on various files.
Harjit Sajjan
Another new MP with military experience, Sajjan is a retired lieutenant-colonel and police officer who has served in Bosnia and Afghanistan.
Environment
One of the first things on Trudeau’s plate is a climate conference in Paris. Then, the new environment minister will need to try to implement whatever Canada commits to.
Stephane Dion
The former leader of the Liberal Party is also famously a former environment minister. He even made a green initiative central to the party’s platform one election, though Trudeau might reach for someone new instead.
Joyce Murray
Murray has served as environment minister in British Columbia, and has been a federal politician since 2008. She also co-founded a tree-planting business with her husband.
Hunter Tootoo
Tootoo has 14 years of experience as a territorial MLA and is a former speaker of the Nunavut legislature. It’s possible that Trudeau, like Harper, might choose an environment minister from the North.
Citizenship and Immigration
Trudeau has promised to bring 25,000 Syrian refugees to Canada by the end of the year. So the new minister will need to get cracking.
John McCallum
McCallum was first elected in 2000, and he has held various cabinet roles, including minister of defence. Most recently, he served as the Liberals’ critic for Citizenship and Immigration.
Maryam Monsef
Monsef is an immigrant herself – coming to Canada with her family as a refugee from Afghanistan in 1996. Since a new minister would immediately start working on the Syrian refugee crisis, appointing Monsef could send a signal about Canada’s intentions.
Navdeep Bains
Bains was born in Toronto to immigrant parents. He has previous federal experience, serving as MP from 2004-2011 and briefly as parliamentary secretary to the prime minister.
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