Top Trudeau-era ministers headed for diplomatic appointments

The Front Bench Panel debates Trudeau-era ministers’ diplomatic roles, byelection risks, and if this move truly marks a shift from the past.

OTTAWA — Three former top ministers in former prime minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet are likely headed for diplomatic appointments, sources confirm to CTV News.

Bill Blair, who served as defence minister until earlier this year, is set to replace Ralph Goodale as high commissioner to the United Kingdom.

David Lametti, former justice minister under Trudeau and current principal secretary to Prime Minister Mark Carney, is also up for a diplomatic post, with two sources saying he could be sent to New York to replace Bob Rae as ambassador to the United Nations (UN).

Also, former energy minister Jonathan Wilkinson has been offered a post in Brussels as ambassador to the European Union, but according to a source close to Wilkinson, he is still considering the offer.

All three men held senior posts in Trudeau’s cabinet, serving for a combined 18 years.

Asked Wednesday about a potential diplomatic appointment, Blair said “right now I’m focused entirely on serving my community and this government.”

Lametti’s potential posting to the UN may raise eyebrows in Ottawa. The former Liberal MP became Carney’s principal secretary — one of the most senior positions in the Prime Minister’s Office — in July, but after just two months, he now appears to be leaving the job.

News of more Trudeau-era ministers headed for diplomatic postings follows the announcement Tuesday that former finance minister and deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland is resigning from cabinet to serve as Canada’s new Special Representative for the Reconstruction of Ukraine.

With files from CTV News Chief Political Correspondent Vassy Kapelos