Because it’s 2019: A look back at Trudeau’s original cabinet

“Because it’s… 2015.” That was how Prime Minister Justin Trudeau answered a reporter’s question about why he valued gender-balance so highly on the day he revealed his first cabinet to the country. The 31-member group was a fresh face for Canadian politics after almost a decade of governance by the Stephen Harper-led Conservatives. Now, with the SNC-Lavalin scandal forcing the government through shuffle after shuffle and some big name expulsions, Maclean’s looks back at that first cabinet, and asks simply, where are they now … and why?

(front row, from left)Ralph Goodale Then: Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessNow: Unchanged

Jody Wilson-Raybould Then: Minister of Justice and Attorney-General of CanadaNow: Independent MPWhat happened: In January, Wilson-Raybould was shuffled to the Veteran’s Affair portfolio, she claims as punishment for her refusal to accede to pressure to help SNC-Lavalin avoid a criminal bribery trial. Trudeau kicked her out of caucus this month, following weeks of controversy and damaging submissions to the House justice committee, including the infamous taped call between Wilson-Raybould and Privy Council Clerk Michael Wernick.

Stéphane Dion Then: Minister of Foreign AffairsNow: Canadian ambassador to Germany and special envoy to the European UnionWhat happened: Dion was shuffled from his job in January of 2017, and was reportedly not particularly pleased about this. He was coy about his future moves before accepting the European postings after a noticeable delay of several weeks.

Chrystia Freeland Then: Minister of International TradeNow: Minister of Foreign AffairsWhat happened: Freeland succeed Dion in January of 2017, and spent much of the next two years working to renegotiate NAFTA with the United States and Mexico.

Justin Trudeau Then: Prime Minister of CanadaNow: Unchanged

David Johnston Then: Governor-General of CanadaNow: Retired from public lifeWhat happened: Johnston completed his term in October of 2017 and was succeed by the current governor-general, former astronaut Julie Payette.

John McCallum Then: Minister of Immigration, Citizenship and Refugees MinisterNow: Out of public lifeWhat happened: McCallum left Immigration to become Canada’s ambassador to China in 2017. He held that role until resigning in January of this year after repeatedly botching the government’s response to tensions with China over Canada’s arrest of Chinese telecom executive Meng Wanzhou.

Judy Foote Then: Minister of Public Services and ProcurementNow: Lieutenant-Governor of Newfoundland and LabradorWhat happened: After a months-long absence for unspecified personal reasons in 2017, Foote resigned from cabinet, citing family health challenges, in August of that year. She was appointed lieutenant-governor of Newfoundland and Labrador the next year.

Lawrence MacAulay Then: Minister of Agriculture and Agri-FoodNow: Minister of Veterans AffairsWhat happened: Shuffled from Agriculture to Veteran’s Affairs in March of 2019.

Carolyn Bennett Then: Minister of Indigenous and Northern AffairsNow: Unchanged

Kent Hehr Then: Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National DefenceNow: Liberal MPWhat happened: Hehr was shuffled from Veteran’s Affairs to the Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities in August of 2017. Once there, Hehr was forced to apologize after insulting victims of thalidomide contamination. Shortly thereafter, he resigned after allegations of sexual misconduct. He remains a Liberal MP.

(middle row, from left)Scott Brison Then: President of the Treasury BoardNow: Out of public lifeWhat happened: Brison resigned from cabinet and government in January of this year, citing a desire to spend more time with family. He quickly took a senior position at the Bank of Montreal.

Marie-Claude Bibeau Then: Minister of International Development and La FrancophonieNow: Minister of AgricultureWhat happened: Bibeau was shuffled to agriculture from International Development in March of this year. Responsibilities for La Francophonie had previously been transferred to Melanie Jolie in 2018.

Navdeep Bains Then: Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic DevelopmentNow: Unchanged

Diane Lebouthillier Then: Minister of National RevenueNow: Unchanged

Jean-Yves Duclos Then: Minister of Families, Children and Social DevelopmentNow: Unchanged

MaryAnn Mihaychuk Then: Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and LabourNow: Liberal MP and Chairwoman of the Standing Committee on Indigenous and Northern Affairs.What happened: Mihaychuk was shuffled out of cabinet in 2017, a move she described as disappointing.

Marc Garneau Then: Minister of TransportNow: Unchanged

Catherine McKenna Then: Minister of the Environment and Climate ChangeNow: Unchanged

Bill Morneau Then: Minister of FinanceNow: Unchanged

Mélanie Joly Then: Minister of Canadian HeritageNow: Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La FrancophonieWhat happened: Joly struggled early in her mandate over the issue of whether to tax Netflix in Canada, and if so, how. After struggling through a series of interviews in her native Quebec, she was demoted in July of 2018.

Dominic LeBlanc Then: Leader of the Government in the House of CommonsNow: Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Northern Affairs and Internal TradeWhat happened: LeBlanc has been shuffled twice. After starting as House leader, he became Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard in 2016, before being transferred to his current post in 2018.

Jane Philpott Then: Minister of HealthNow: Independent MPWhat happened: Philpott was shuffled twice since 2015, first to Minister of Indigenous Services in August of 2017, and then to President of the Treasury Board in January of 2019. She resigned from that position weeks later in protest of the government’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin affair and, in particular, its treatment of Jody Wilson-Raybould. She was kicked out of the Liberal caucus, along with Wilson-Raybould, by Trudeau, who cited “trust” issues.

(back row, from left) Carla Qualtrough Then: Minister of Sport and Persons with DisabilitiesNow: Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility and acting president of the Treasury BoardWhat happened: Qualtrough was shuffled to Public Services and Procurement in August of 2017, and briefly served as acting president of the Treasury Board in March of this year.

Jim Carr Then: Minister of Natural ResourcesNow: Minister of International Trade DiversificationWhat happened: Carr was shuffled from Natural Resources to the newly created portfolio of International Trade Diversification in 2018.

Kirsty Duncan Then: Minister of ScienceNow: Minister of Science and SportWhat happened: Duncan has retained her duties at Science but absorbed the responsibility for Sport after Kent Hehr’s resignation in 2018.

Amarjeet Sohi Then: Minister of Infrastructure and CommunitiesNow: Minister of Natural ResourcesWhat happened: Sohi replaced Carr as Natural Resources minister in 2018.

Bardish Chagger*Then: Minister of Small Business and TourismNow: Leader of the Government in the House of CommonsWhat happened: Chagger assumed additional responsibilities as House leader in 2016, but gave up responsibilities for Small Business and Tourism (which were split among separate ministers) in 2018.

Hunter Tootoo Then: Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, and Canadian Coast GuardNow: Independent MPWhat happened: Tootoo resigned from cabinet and the Liberal caucus in May of 2016, saying he needed to seek treatment for alcohol treatment. He completed the treatment but did not return to either cabinet or caucus, and eventually confessed to an inappropriate sexual relationship with a female staffer, who reportedly vandalized his office after discovering that Tootoo was also in a sexual relationship with her mother.

Patty Hajdu Then: Minister for the Status of WomenNow: Minister of Employment, Workforce, and LabourWhat happened: Shuffled in January of 2017.

Harjit S. Sajjan Then: Minister of National DefenceNow: Unchanged

Maryam Monsef Then: Minister of Democratic InstitutionsNow: Minister of International DevelopmentWhat happened: Tasked with the public consultation process for the government’s ultimately abandoned electoral reform pledge, Monsef was criticized for her performance in that role. She was shuffled to Minister for the Status of Women in 2017 and to her current post earlier this month.

CORRECTION, April 11, 2019: In an earlier version of this story, the photo illustration incorrectly identified Bardish Chagger as being out of cabinet. 

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