TORONTO (AP) — Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will announce a major Cabinet shake-up on Wednesday as he readies his team for the next federal election.
Trudeau is removing several Cabinet ministers, including Public Safety Minister Marco Mendicino and Transport Minister Omar Alghabra. Medicino, Algabra and several others confirmed the moves before a swearing-in ceremony for new ministers.
New ministers were also expected in defense, justice, heritage, fisheries and procurement.
At least four ministers are out after saying they wouldn't run in the next election, which must take place by October 2025, but it could be called well before then. Polls indicate Trudeau’s Liberal Party is trailing the rival Conservatives.
Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, the Liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he first won in 2015, but scandals and economic inflation have taken a toll after eight years in power.
Trudeau’s legacy includes embracing immigration at a time when the U.S. and other countries closed their doors. He also legalized cannabis nationwide, brought in a carbon tax to fight climate change and made for more affordable child care. And he preserved a free trade deal with the U.S. and Mexico amid threats by former U.S. President Donald Trump to scrap the agreement.
Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will remain in both jobs.
Mendicino, the outgoing public safety minister, thanked the prime minister and said he would run in the next election despite being bumped from the Cabinet. Mendicino recently faced criticism for his office’s handling of the recent prison transfer of a notorious serial killer.
The government is currently made up of 38 Cabinet ministers and the prime minister. The Cabinet will also likely be gender-balanced, a trend that Trudeau has kept up since he was first elected in 2015.
Trudeau leads a stable minority government that is backed by the opposition leftist New Democrat party. Together both parties have enough seats in Parliament to pass legislation.
“It is not unusual for a prime minister to shuffle his Cabinet about halfway through a term. What is unusual is the scope of the shuffle,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto. “The Trudeau Liberals have been on the defensive for some time. They will continue to be so despite the changing face of Cabinet and the new titles for ministers.”
Wiseman doesn’t expect an election anytime soon.
“Ten years has been about the average shelf life of prime ministers for the past 75 years. Trudeau is approaching that mark. After failing to win majorities two elections in a row, it is highly unlikely he will be able to secure a majority in any future election,” he said.