PM Trudeau to shuffle cabinet on Wednesday

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau addresses participants at the beginning of a housing round table at the Country Hills Library in Kitchener, Ont. on Tuesday, Aug. 30, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power-POOL

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will shuffle his cabinet at Rideau Hall on Wednesday morning, in what CTV News has learned will be a small reworking of the Liberals’ front bench.

Sources tell CTV News the changes to the federal cabinet roster are being made to accommodate health issues, and will result in changes to a few more lower-profile portfolios.

An indication of how limited scope of the shuffle will be, the swearing-in ceremony will only take approximately 20 minutes, according to the Prime Minister’s Office.

Set to get underway at 10 a.m. ET, Trudeau’s itinerary then has him holding a post-ceremony “brief media availability,” at 10:20 a.m. ET.

In what will be the first cabinet shuffle since Trudeau considerably shook up his ministerial roster following the 2021 election, sources said this visit to the Governor General’s residence is not expected to result in major ministers on the move.

There are currently 38 members in the gender-balanced cabinet, not counting the prime minister. It’s likely Trudeau will look to uphold his commitment to gender parity with this coming shuffle, though it remains to be seen how other factors like regional representation and diversity will be factored in.

The cabinet adjustment comes just prior to the federal cabinet retreat next week in Vancouver, where Trudeau and his ministers will gather to discuss priorities and plot out their agenda for the fall.

It’s possible this rejigging of some ministerial roles may be part of the Liberals looking to reset after a summer seized with concerns over inflation, airport chaos, and ahead of the naming of a new federal Conservative leader on Sept. 10.

Parliament is scheduled to reconvene the week of Sept. 19.

Source:  CTV News’ Glen McGregor