Cabinet shuffle won't alter feds priorities: St. Albert MP

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet shuffle on Tuesday morning will mean little to the direction of the government, said St. Albert’s MP.

On June 26, Trudeau made some major changes to his inner circle and overhauled his front bench, dropping seven ministers while shuffling other portfolios

But St. Albert MP Michael Cooper said with Trudeau still in power, the direction of the government will remain unchanged.

“This is a window dressing exercise,” said Cooper.

“Justin Trudeau can shuffle the chairs of his cabinet but the problem is Justin Trudeau and eight years of Liberal policies. Nothing will change as a result of this cabinet shuffle.”

On Tuesday Trudeau said the increasing challenges Canadians are facing is the reason for the fresh faces on the front bench.

"This is a difficult time right now for millions of people in Canada and around the world, and making sure that we have the best possible team aligned to respond to Canadians' challenges with the supports necessary, but also show that optimism, that ambition for getting us through these consequential times and building a brighter future for everyone,” Trudeau said.

Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault who previously served as minister of tourism and associate minister of finance will now be focusing even more on the economy with a new portfolio as the minister of employment, workforce development and also official languages minister.

Only eight ministers held their positions, including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland,  Foreign Affairs Minister Melanie Joly and Environment and Climate Change Minister Steven Guilbeault.

With no changes on these key portfolios, Cooper said the main priorities of the government won’t be changing. Keeping Guilbeault overseeing the environment means there will be no changes to carbon taxes or gas prices, said Cooper, and with Freeland still overseeing the budgets, the government’s spending will continue on its usual path.

Cooper said he wasn’t surprised to see the new faces that joined Trudeau’s cabinet, as they were MPs who had been around for many years. And some of those who were dropped have already announced they won’t be seeking re-election.

Trudeau has been the prime minister for nearly eight years. The next Canadian election will be in the fall of 2025.