Wednesday July 26, 2023 | VANCOUVER ISLAND, BC / NATIONAL NEWS [Updated August 2, 2023]
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
Terry Beech, MP (Burnaby North—Seymour) has been appointed to the federal cabinet today, by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau .
He is now Minister of Citizens’ Services — that’s a new ministry to handle the range of citizen needs having to do with government services. There has been a similar ministry in BC for several years.
The cabinet shuffle announcement is being made in Ottawa today. The Cabinet remains at a count of 39 (including the prime minister), and is gender-balanced with 19 men and 19 women in the top posts.
Beech is one of a few from BC:
Terry Beech, age 42, began his political career in 1999 as a city councillor in Nanaimo, here on Vancouver Island. He has been elected in Burnaby North-Seymour in the 2015, 2019, and 2021 federal general elections, winning in 2021 with about a 10 percent margin.
Beech has previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and to the Minister of Economic Development and Official Languages (B.C.), as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport, and as Parliamentary Secretary for Science.
Beech is one of few federal cabinet ministers from British Columbia (other BC cabinet ministers include Carla Qualtrough and Jonathan Wilkinson).
He has been chair of the federal finance committee, working with Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Recent visits to Colwood and Victoria:
Terry Beech, MP was on Vancouver Island on April 17 — he announced federal funds for a waterfront multi-use pathway in Colwood and attended the BC Legislative Assembly session in the afternoon.
On July 6, Beech was in attendance in BC for housing discussions between Premier David Eby and Housing Minister Ravi Kahlon along with Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Cabinet shuffle:
“We’re making changes to Cabinet. Tune in here to meet the team that’s going to be focused on addressing immediate challenges and building a better future for everyone,” said Trudeau in a Tweet (X) this morning, July 26.
The cabinet shuffle made 30 changes (out of a total cabinet of 38, plus Prime Minister as the 39th), that’s an 80 percent turnover. | See: Official Federal Cabinet webpage
This Cabinet shuffle comes ahead of the government’s Cabinet retreat, set for Charlottetown, PEI during August 21 to 23.
Newcomers are now in fairly critical portfolios like Crown-Indigenous Relations (taking on the responsibility of reconciliation) and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Those who didn’t show up in the new Cabinet included several who aren’t planning to run again in the next federal election (currently expected after June 2025, but could happen in 2024 depending on how the federal NDP support continues in the current minority government), including Omar Alghabra, Carolyn Bennett. Others who got dropped were Helena Jaczek, Marco Mendicino, and Joyce Murray.
One of the most significant challenges in Canada right now is the serious shortage of housing, which is now under Sean Fraser as Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. He is also fairly youthful and an effective communicator — great Liberal leadership material going forward.
Some choices are questionable, such as the new Fisheries and Oceans Minister who cannot communicate very well in English — that could be alienating in the east coast and west coast fishing industry sectors.
Cabinet changes at July 26, 2023:
Several Cabinet ministers held firm in their roles including Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland; International Affairs Minister Melanie Joly; Steven Gilbeault as Minister of Environment and Climate Change; Patty Hajdu as Indigenous Services and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario; and François-Philippe Champagne as Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry.
Here is the list of new appointments or changes in roles, in the order as announced today at the Rideau Hall ceremony in Ottawa:
- The new Public Safety Minister is Dominic LeBlanc (replacing Marco Mendicino who is no longer in Cabinet).
- Public Services and Procurement is now headed by Jean-Yves Duclos (former Health Minister).
- Marie-Claude Bibeau is now Minister of National Revenue (formerly Minister of Agriculture).
- The new Minister of Fisheries and Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard is Diane Lebouthillier.
- Harjit Sajjan has been appointed as Minister of Emergency Preparedness and Minister Responsible for the Pacific Economic Development Agency of Canada (a puzzling choice for someone who will need to rally public support in any serious emergency, as his communications style seems less connected with people than it could be).
- Carla Qualtrough is now Minister of Sport and Physical Activity (formerly handling employment and disabilities).
- Karina Gould is now Leader of the Government and the House of Commons (soon going on maternity leave).
- Amhed Hussain is now Minister of International Development (he formerly headed up the housing ministry which obviously didn’t meet the mark for the current challenges of Canadian society).
- Ginette Petitpas Taylor is now Veterans Affairs and Associate Miniser of National Defence.
- Seamus o’Regan Jr is now Minister of Labour and Seniors (formerly Minister of Labour).
- Pablo Rodriguez is now Minister of Transport (formerly Culture & Heritage Minister).
- Bill Blair (formerly a career police officer) is now the Minister of National Defence.
- Mary Ng is now Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development.
- Jonathan Wilkinson is now Minister of Energy and Natural Resources (previously just Natural Resources).
- Anita Anand is now President of the Treasury Board (she handled Procurement during the pandemic, and was most recently Minister of National Defence).
- Marc Miller is now Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship (after handling the Indigenous file for many years).
- Randy Boissonault is now Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages.
- Sean Fraser is now Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
- Mark Holland is now Minister of Health (formerly the Liberal House Leader).
- Gudie Hutchings, Rural Economic Development
- Kamal Khera is now Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities (formerly the Seniors Minister).
- Pascale St-Onge is now Minister of Canadian Heritage (formerly Minister of Sport)
New to cabinet:
- Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
- Terry Beech, Minister of Citizens’ Services
- Soraya Martinez Ferrada, Minister of Tourism, Minister for Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
- Ya’ara Saks, Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
- Jenna Sudds, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development.
- Rechie Valdez, Minister of Small Business
- Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
===== LINKS:
Government of Canada – Federal Cabinet
===== RELATED:
Federal cabinet shuffle offers significant opportunities (July 26, 2023)
BC hopes for continued common ground with federal government on safe and affordable housing (July 9, 2023)
$6 million federal funds for Colwood waterfront multi-use pathway (April 17, 2023)
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends delivers socioeconomic news insights about life on the west shore of south Vancouver Island. Published by Brookeline Publishing House Inc, Island Social Trends follows in the footsteps of its genesis publications MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020.
All news is posted at IslandSocialTrends.ca .
Editor Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR has steered this publication series for 15 years. In that time period she has covered SD62 news up close (board and committee level) since 2014 and as well as broader west shore news.
In Fall 2022 Ms Brooke was a candidate in the Belmont Zone of SD62, connecting with the community through extensive door-knocking and in the process heard a much different view of public education expectations than what is evident at the board table.
Mary P Brooke now reports with the BC Legislative Press Gallery, having covered the COVID pandemic daily in 2020 and 2021 and broader BC news since 2017.
Ms Brooke has been nominated in 2023 for the Jack Webster Foundation’s Shelley Fralic Award for contributing to the community through journalism.
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