Prime Minister Mark Carney made significant changes to his cabinet on Monday, appointing Marc Miller as the new minister of Canadian identity, culture, and official languages. Additionally, Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound was assigned the role of Carney’s Quebec lieutenant, while Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin took on the responsibility for parks and nature. These roles were previously held by Steven Guilbeault, who recently resigned from the cabinet.
Miller, who previously oversaw immigration, Crown-Indigenous relations, and Indigenous services under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, expressed his enthusiasm for returning to the cabinet. Lightbound, first elected in 2015, and Dabrusin, who served as a parliamentary secretary under Trudeau, both received their first cabinet posts under Carney this year.
Acknowledging Guilbeault’s past contributions, both Miller and Lightbound praised his work. Guilbeault resigned following the memorandum of understanding with Alberta, which outlines plans for a new bitumen pipeline to the B.C. coast.
Carney’s administration has reversed several environmental policies from the Trudeau era, such as suspending the consumer carbon tax. The recent changes mark the second cabinet shuffle under Carney, following former Transport and Internal Trade Minister Chrystia Freeland’s departure in September.
Freeland, who held various cabinet positions under Trudeau, including finance, resigned last year, leading to Trudeau’s resignation. Carney redistributed Freeland’s previous roles to other ministers, including Dominic LeBlanc and Steven Mackinnon. Despite running against Carney for the Liberal leadership and placing second, Freeland hinted at leaving federal politics altogether.