Trudeau to unveil new cabinet Oct. 26, Parliament to return Nov. 22
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil on Oct. 26 the roster of cabinet ministers who will shepherd his government into a third mandate focused on finishing the fight against COVID-19 and rebuilding the pandemic-ravaged economy.
His ministers will then have about a month to settle into their jobs before Parliament is recalled on Nov. 22 -- just over two months after the Sept. 20 election returned Trudeau's Liberals with a second consecutive minority.
The timing of Parliament's return, announced Friday by the Prime Minister's Office, was slammed by opposition parties who accused Trudeau of being uninterested in getting back to work.
In a written statement, Trudeau's office said the prime minister plans to talk by phone with opposition leaders early next week to discuss Canadians' priorities and how the House of Commons should resume operations as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues to rage.
Among the first orders of business, the statement said, will be working with opposition leaders to ensure all members of Parliament are fully vaccinated before setting foot in the Commons -- an issue on which the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois and NDP are in agreement.
But it creates a potential conflict with Conservative Leader Erin OToole, who has refused so far to disclose how many of his MPs have had two shots and who continues to defend the right of individuals to make their own personal health choices.
At the same time, the Conservatives want the Commons to resume normal, in-person operations and are adamantly opposed to any continuation of the hybrid model -- with only a small number of MPs physically in the chamber and the rest participating virtually -- used during the earlier waves of the pandemic.
Mandatory vaccination was a central pillar of the Liberals' election campaign and, since the Sept. 20 vote, Trudeau has moved quickly to deliver on his promise to require proof of vaccination for federal employees and anyone planning to board a plane or train.
His office said requiring MPs in the Commons to be fully vaccinated is a matter of showing leadership.
"Canadians expect their elected representatives to lead by example in the fight against this virus, and the Prime Minister will be raising this with other leaders," the statement said.
Once Parliament is back, the statement suggested, extending pandemic support benefits will be high on the agenda.
"One of the immediate areas of focus for the next Parliament will be the COVID-19 support benefits that many Canadians and businesses still rely on, and the government will work collaboratively with other parliamentarians to continue to have Canadians' backs," it said.
Emergency rent and wage subsidy programs are set to end later this month but can be extended to the end of November. New legislation would be required to extend them beyond that -- a process that the Canadian Chamber of Commerce fears could stretch into the new year, with benefits cut off in the meantime.
While it welcomed the priority placed on extending business support programs, the chamber said the Nov. 22 start date for Parliament is too late for small businesses in the hardest-hit sectors.
"Extending these programs through November needs to be an immediate priority, followed by legislation to introduce programs for the hardest-hit sectors as soon as the House returns," said Alla Drigola Birk, the chamber's director of parliamentary affairs.
Businesses need "support and certainty now, not a retroactive payment months from now," she added.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said the delay in recalling Parliament shows that the Liberals "are not interested in helping struggling families and small businesses in this fourth wave of COVID-19."
Conservative House leader Gerard Deltell said it demonstrates that "the $600-million `urgent' election was nothing more than a power grab for Justin Trudeau trying to secure a majority government, and that he is in no rush to get back to work."
"It's wrong that in the middle of the fourth wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, Justin Trudeau is waiting 63 days to return to work. That's 63 days that Members of Parliament should be working in the House of Commons to address the pandemic, inflation, labour shortages, and a number of other issues important to Canadians," Deltell said.
According to the statement from Trudeau's office, other "early priorities" will include reintroducing legislation to ban conversion therapy, the practice of forcing individuals to undergo therapy aimed at altering their sexual orientation or gender identity. A bill to criminalize the practice was passed by the Commons in June but did not make it to a vote in the Senate before the summer break and ultimately died when Trudeau called the election.
The government will also move quickly on the promise of 10-day paid sick leave for federally regulated workers and work with the remaining provinces and territories that have not yet signed on to the federal plan to create $10-a-day child care across the country.
Just one week after the election, Trudeau announced that Chrystia Freeland will retain her crucial dual roles as deputy prime minister and finance minister.
But whether he'll opt to leave most other ministers in their current portfolios or conduct a major shakeup remains to be seen. He is under pressure to at least shuffle Harjit Sajjan out of the Defence portfolio, where he's been widely criticized for his handling of serial sexual misconduct allegations among the senior ranks of the military.
Trudeau has said gender parity will be the "base starting point" for any regionally balanced cabinet he puts together.
Trudeau lost three female ministers in the election -- Fisheries Minister Bernadette Jordan, Gender Equality Minister Maryam Monsef and Seniors Minister Deb Schulte. A fourth, Infrastructure Minister Catherine McKenna, did not seek re-election.
While only Trudeau and a handful of his closest advisers know who the prime minister will choose to fill those vacancies, speculation has centred on rookie Halifax West MP Lena Metlege Diab, a former provincial justice minister, to fill Jordan's Nova Scotia slot.
McKenna's Ottawa slot could be filled by Orleans MP Marie-France Lalonde, a former Ontario cabinet minister, or newly elected Kanata-Carleton MP Jenna Sudds, a former deputy mayor of Ottawa.
Other women who could be promoted into cabinet include newly elected London West MP Arielle Kayabaga, a refugee from Burundi and former city councillor; Harvard-educated businesswoman Leah Taylor Roy, newly elected in Ontario's Aurora-Oak-Ridges-Richmond Hills; and Pascale St-Onge, a former union leader in Quebec's cultural sector who eked out a slim victory over the Bloc in Brome-Missisquoi.
Trudeau could also choose to promote more experienced, re-elected female MPs who've already proven themselves to be strong performers, including Pickering-Uxbridge MP Jennifer O'Connell, Brampton North MP Ruby Sahota and Toronto Centre MP Marci Ien.
Randy Boissonnault, elected in Edmonton Centre in 2015, defeated in 2019 and re-elected last month, would seem a shoo-in for cabinet as one of only two Liberals from Alberta.
The second Albertan, Calgary Skyview MP George Chahal, was also initially considered a lock for cabinet. But his ambitions may be thwarted by the fact that he was caught on a doorbell camera removing a campaign brochure left by his Conservative rival, who has asked the elections commissioner to investigate.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 15, 2021.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.
Local Spotlight
Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors bet on who will win Round 2 of the playoffs. Here's what's at stake
The stakes have been set for a bet between Vancouver and Edmonton's mayors on who will win Round 2 of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Mother collecting helmets for Manitoba First Nations to honour daughter’s legacy
A grieving mother is hosting a helmet drive in the hopes of protecting children on Manitoba First Nations from a similar tragedy that killed her daughter.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
P.E.I. lighthouse, N.B. river spotlighted in Canada Post series
A P.E.I. lighthouse and a New Brunswick river are being honoured in a Canada Post series.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man pays $7,700 for luxury villa found on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he paid more than $7,700 for a luxury villa he found on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Investigating the tale of Winnipeg's long-running mystery bookstore
Whether passionate about Poirot or hungry for Holmes, Winnipeg mystery obsessives have had a local haunt for over 30 years in which to search out their latest page-turners.
'Love has no boundaries': Sask. couple in their 90s and 80s get married
Eighty-two-year-old Susan Neufeldt and 90-year-old Ulrich Richter are no spring chickens, but their love blossomed over the weekend with their wedding at Pine View Manor just outside of Rosthern.
Twin Alberta Ballet dancers retire after 15 years with company
Alberta Ballet's double-bill production of 'Der Wolf' and 'The Rite of Spring' marks not only its final show of the season, but the last production for twin sisters Alexandra and Jennifer Gibson.
Video shows gaggle of geese stopping traffic on Highway 1 near Vancouver
A mother goose and her goslings caused a bit of a traffic jam on a busy stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Vancouver Saturday.