Cabinet Shuffle and Byelections Call January 14, 2019

Cabinet Shuffle Prompted by the resignation of Treasury Board President and Minister of Digital Government on January 11, the Prime Minister shuffled his Cabinet today:

Jane Philpott Formerly Minister of Health and most recently Minister of Indigenous Services, moves to Treasury Board to replace Brison. Minister Philpott has also served as Vice-Chair of Treasury Board.

Seamus O’Regan Formerly Minister of Veterans’ Affairs, becomes Minister of Indigenous Services.

Jody Wilson-Raybould Formerly Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, is appointed Minister of Veterans’ Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.

David Lametti MP for LaSalle-Ēmard-Verdun (Québec) and formerly Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, joins Cabinet as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. Mr. Lametti is a former professor in the Faculty of Law at McGill University in , specializing in property, intellectual property as well as private and comparative law.

Bernadette Jordan MP for South Shore-St. Margarets (Nova Scotia), and formerly Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions, joins Cabinet in a new portfolio as Minister of Rural Economic Development.

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Cabinet Shuffle and Byelections Call

Today’s Cabinet changes address a number of issues and priorities for the government. ’s appointment gives an experienced and effective Minister a stronger cross-government responsibility for delivery—getting programs and money out the door—in the final months before an election. As Minister of Indigenous Services, Seamus O’Regan will face a steep learning curve in an area that is top priority for the government but will also bring energy and salesmanship to the job. Moving Jody Wilson-Raybould to Veterans’ Affairs is clearly a demotion, reflecting a lacklustre performance at Justice and difficult relationships with Cabinet colleagues. Minister Wilson-Raybould has released an unprecedented statement that speaks to the completion of her mandate responsibilities and to her legacy as Minister of Justice.

The two newcomers appointed today bring some serious program and political capabilities to their new Cabinet roles. David Lametti is highly qualified in the law, holding degrees from the , McGill, the Yale Law School and Oxford University. In his roles as Parliamentary Secretary, he has been a quick and effective study on economic issues and has shown significant sensitivity to caucus members, fellow legislators and stakeholders. is an experienced community organizer and fund raiser, who was also elected Chair of the Atlantic Liberal Caucus. The Prime Minister’s media release on today’s shuffle outlined the role of the new Department of Rural Economic Development:

“…the creation of a rural development strategy to spur economic growth…in rural Canada. She will also take action to bring high-speed internet to more rural households and businesses, and work with municipalities, provinces, territories, and Indigenous partners to meet the unique and diverse infrastructure needs of rural communities.”

More details on the specific roles of the new ministers will become available when revised Mandate Letters are released by the Prime Minister, likely in a few days.

PMO News Release here.

Byelections Call On January 9, the Prime Minister announced that byelections would be held on February 25 in three electoral districts: Outremont, Quebec, York–Simcoe, and Burnaby South, British Columbia.

Outremont This riding is located on the Island of Montreal. Former NDP Leader Tom Mulcair was first elected here in a byelection in September 2007. He held the riding in the 2008, 2011 and 2015 federal elections. In 2015, he won with 44.11% of the vote; the Liberals trailed with 33.46% and the Conservatives with 9.53%.

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Cabinet Shuffle and Byelections Call

For the upcoming byelection, the candidates are:

CPC LPC NDP GPC No PPC Candidate Jasmine Louras Julia Sanchez Daniel Green

The Liberal candidate, Rachel Bandayan is running a second time in the riding, having run in 2015. She has been a lawyer with Norton Rose Fullbright and also spent time as Chief of Staff to the federal Minister of Small Business and Tourism. The NDP’s Julia Sanchez is an international development expert and described as a “political novice.” How the NDP fares in this riding will be seen as an indication of the party’s Quebec prospects in the 2019 federal election.

York Simcoe The riding is located immediately north of the GTA. Former Conservative Cabinet Minister Peter Van Loan had a 14-year run in this riding, having first been elected in 2002, and holding it in the next four elections before his resignation in 2018. In the 2015 election, Van Loan won easily with 50.25% of the votes. The Liberals came second with 37.77% and the NDP was third with 8.89%.

For the upcoming byelection, the candidates are:

CPC LPC NDP No GPC or PPC Candidate

Scot Davidson Shaun Tanaka Jessa Mclean

Shaun Tanaka is running again for the Liberals, having been defeated by Van Loan in 2015. She is a board member of The Sharon Temple Museum Society and as a board member of the East Gwillimbury Public Library. is a small businessman and has served on the Georgina Medical Health Board, the Georgina Waterways Advisory Committee, the Lake Simcoe Fisheries Stakeholder Committee and the Jackson’s Point BIA.

This race appears to be a lock for the Conservatives.

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Cabinet Shuffle and Byelections Call

Burnaby South The riding is located in the lower mainland, immediately southeast of downtown Vancouver. It was won by Kennedy Stewart of the NDP in 2015; he had previously held the predecessor riding of Burnaby- Kingsway. In 2015, Stewart was elected with 35.07% of the votes cast; the Liberal candidate came second with 33.88% and the Conservative polled 27.11%.

For the upcoming byelection, the candidates are:

CPC LPC NDP PPC No GPC Candidate Jay Shin Karen Wang Laura-Lynn Tyler

Thompson

Of the three byelections, this will be the most closely watched because of Jagmeet Singh. He came to contest Burnaby South after declining to run earlier in other ridings. He had taken significant criticism for delaying his entry into the House of Commons since becoming Leader of the NDP in October 2017. Conservative candidate Jay Shin is a lawyer who also holds degrees in human biology, mechanical engineering and business. The Liberals’ Karen Wang owns and operates a day care and is also a community activist. The Green Party is not contesting this byelection and it will be the first electoral foray by Maxime Bernier’s Peoples Party of Canada.

Bottom line: This is a make-or-break opportunity for Mr. Singh. If he should lose, there will be pressure for him to resign, but with an election coming in October, the Party will have scant time to choose a successor.

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