The foreign policy challenges of the Trudeau government
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has chosen his team, following his third election victory. Although he heads a minority government, this time he is showing a willingness to change course, particularly on foreign and defence policy issues. Once again, Trudeau has banked on the diversity of his team, but has upped the ante by shuffling women […]
Anand’s promotion to defence minister sends a strong message feds want clean up sexual misconduct crisis, says Ottawa reader
I cannot but be proud of the election and the appointment to the cabinet of two Indo-Canadians: Anita Anand and Harjit Sajjan. I must lay my focus on the appointment of Ms. Anand; a rare thing for a woman to be appointed defence minister. By any cultural or military traditions, including in India, this is indeed […]
Time to drop the negative tropes about women in cabinet
Some observers were rightly suspicious about the performative quality of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s 2015 pledge to have gender parity in his cabinet. While there was indeed a 50/50 split, it was noted in Mr. Trudeau’s first cabinet that men still held the “serious” posts: finance, Treasury Board, national defence, and foreign affairs. This sparked […]
‘Extremely well placed to succeed’: new Defence Minister Anand to take on deep-seated procurement issues, sexual misconduct crisis gripping top ranks of military
While Canada’s new Defence Minister Anita Anand has the right experience and leadership for the job, she will likely face difficulties in dealing with the Canadian Armed Forces’ (CAF) entrenched problems of sexual misconduct and procurement delays, according to several politicos. “Certainly she’ll bring a great perspective and a great set of experiences to the […]
Cabinet chips have fallen, with symbolism in the settling
OTTAWA—So, how did you make out in that cabinet speculation game we played last week? Did you make enough money to retire? The cabinet was unveiled yesterday and here are some quick takes. Other than Chrystia Freeland, two of the big winners are Mélanie Joly and Steven Guilbeault. Joly is Canada’s new minister of foreign […]
Guilbeault, Joly to be under microscope in new posts; strong performers Duclos, Anand shuffled into most delicate files
The two most thorny files for the Liberal government will have new chiefs in Jean-Yves Duclos and Anita Anand, while all eyes will be on embattled cabinet minister Steven Guilbeault as he spearheads the environment file and Mélanie Joly as she become Canada’s latest top diplomat. The four cabinet ministers all were given new files […]
New cabinet sets the stage for the next phase of government
On Oct. 26, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled his mid- and post-pandemic ministry, a group of 38 people to join him around the cabinet table with an eye towards shepherding through the Liberals’ COVID-recovery agenda and campaign promises. Of the group that participated in the Rideau Hall ceremony on Tuesday, there are nine new faces, […]
In wake of British MP killing, Canadian MPs say they’ve seen a dramatic escalation in ‘overall toxicity of politics’ here at home in recent years, and want to make it stop
Following the tragic killing of a British MP on Oct. 15 while meeting with his constituents, a number of MPs here at home say there has been a noticeable deterioration in political discourse in recent years, particularly on social media and as a function of the COVID-19 pandemic, and that “we’re dealing with something different” […]
Anand’s press aide departs, director-level changes for Lametti, Rodriguez
Public Services and Procurement Minister Anita Anand and her office have had a busy year-and-a-half, and with an anticipated federal election on the horizon, Cecely Roy recently announced her exit. Ms. Roy, who served as press secretary to Ms. Anand under the title of senior adviser for media relations, announced that the week of Aug. […]
Canada pushes for government to be formed in Lebanon as humanitarian crisis mounts
As Lebanon faces an economic and political crisis, Canada is pushing Beirut to form a government. Lebanon has had a caretaker government since the government resigned nearly a year ago in the aftermath of the deadly Beirut explosion on Aug. 4, 2020, which killed at least 207 and injured thousands. The World Bank has said […]
