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Justin Trudeau walked up the tree-lined path to Rideau Hall to a hero's welcome from a huge crowd of people, flanked by his wife Sophie Gregoire, their children and his top Liberal lieutenants. Spectators represented a mosaic of Canadian culture, from recently-landed Filipino immigrants to retired public servants.
As Canada's 23rd prime minister, Trudeau defeated Conservative Stephen Harper in a landslide victory on Oct. 19, who governed Canada for nearly a decade. While credited by supporters for steering Canada through the global financial crisis, Harper was also criticized for undermining environmental laws in the pursuit of oil and gas projects.
Trudeau also announced his 30 cabinet ministers, 15 of whom are women.
"Canadians from all across this country sent a message that it is time for real change, and I am deeply honoured by the faith they have placed in my team and me," he said in a statement to the country after the swearing-in ceremony. "Today we have the pleasure of introducing the team of extraordinary Canadians who will serve in the new Ministry.
"This strong, diverse, and experienced team will serve all Canadians, and for the first time in our country's history, there will be an equal number of women and men around the Cabinet table."
Trudeau's cabinet
The Right Honourable Justin P. J. Trudeau
Prime Minister
The Honourable Ralph Goodale
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
The Honourable Lawrence MacAulay
Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
The Honourable Stéphane Dion
Minister of Foreign Affairs
The Honourable John McCallum
Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
The Honourable Carolyn Bennett
Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs
The Honourable Scott Brison
President of the Treasury Board
The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc
Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
The Honourable Navdeep Singh Bains
Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
The Honourable William Francis Morneau
Minister of Finance
The Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
The Honourable Judy M. Foote
Minister of Public Services and Procurement
The Honourable Chrystia Freeland
Minister of International Trade
The Honourable Jane Philpott
Minister of Health
The Honourable Jean-Yves Duclos
Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
The Honourable Marc Garneau
Minister of Transport
The Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau
Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
The Honourable James Gordon Carr
Minister of Natural Resources
The Honourable Mélanie Joly
Minister of Canadian Heritage
The Honourable Diane Lebouthillier
Minister of National Revenue
The Honourable Kent Hehr
Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of
National Defence
The Honourable Catherine McKenna
Minister of Environment and Climate Change
The Honourable Harjit Singh Sajjan
Minister of National Defence
The Honourable MaryAnn Mihychuk
Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
The Honourable Amarjeet Sohi
Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
The Honourable Maryam Monsef
Minister of Democratic Institutions
The Honourable Carla Qualtrough
Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities
The Honourable Hunter Tootoo
Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
The Honourable Kirsty Duncan
Minister of Science
The Honourable Patricia A. Hajdu
Minister of Status of Women
The Honourable Bardish Chagger
Minister of Small Business and Tourism
Diverse representation
Trudeau's Liberals won a strong majority of 184 seats in last month's election, with representation in every province and one territory. His cabinet reflects that, with 11 ministers from Ontario, six from Quebec, three from British Columbia and two each from Alberta and Manitoba. Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island all have a single representative in cabinet, as does Nunavut.
Eighteen of the newly minted ministers are rookies who won election for the first time, including the finance minister, millionaire Toronto businessman Bill Morneau.
Two others are relative newcomers as well; former journalist Chrystia Freeland, who won a by-election in Toronto two years ago, will head up international trade, while Navdeep Bains, a former MP who was defeated in 2011, becomes minister of innovation, science and economic development.
Trudeau has put newbies in most of the senior portfolios, some of which have been reconfigured or renamed.
In his statement, he said this government is the best representation of the people it is meant to serve, and promised to make good on election commitments to renew partnerships with Indigenous people, tackle climate change, create jobs, and care for veterans.
"We are committed to both the security and safety of Canadians and the protection of their rights and freedoms," he said.
"Canadians expect to see their values and priorities reflected in their government, and we have listened closely to them. Canadians told us what kind of government they want, and we built the plan to make it happen."
The prime minister is seen in this video welcoming new Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, and renewing Canada's commitment to a cleaner, greener future:
Reaction from federal parties
NDP leader Tom Mulcair congratulated the new prime minister on taking his oath of office and appointing a new cabinet based on the concept of gender parity:
“I look forward to working with Prime Minister Trudeau to help bring change to Canadians,” he said in a statement. “Gender parity in Cabinet is a good first step and should be congratulated, but achieving fairness and equality for all Canadians is a long-term goal that requires hard work. I look forward to pressing the new Prime Minister and his cabinet on their progress.”
His party however, was disappointed that the cabinet was so large. The New Democrats will meet in Ottawa today to discuss strategies for holding the new ministers to account on issues including greenhouse gas reduction targets, First Nations relationships, access to health care, revising the current electoral system, and resettling 25,000 Syrian refugees.
- With files from Canadian Press.
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