The new Liberal federal government was sworn in on November 3, with two cabinet members in particular being of importance to Canada’s plastics industry.
Canada’s new finance minister is Toronto Centre MP Bill Morneau, the former head of a human resources company. Morneau has a masters degree from the London School of Economics and a masters of business administration. Morneau, 52, has now stepped down as executive chair of Morneau Shepell, a large Canadian human resources services company that manages many private-sector pensions. He also stepped away from his position as chair of the C.D. Howe Institute, an economic think-tank, when he decided earlier this year to run in the federal election.
The new International Trade Minister is Chrystia Freeland, 47, a former finance journalist (Financial Times, Reuters and Globe and Mail). As only the second woman to serve as trade minister (Pat Carney, in Brian Mulroney’s Progressive Conservative government, was the first), she takes over a senior trade bureaucracy led by women: Christine Hogan is currently the deputy minister of international trade, Susan Bincoletto is chief trade commissioner, and Kirsten Hillman is the associate assistant deputy minister, trade policy and negotiation.
The complete list of the new Liberal cabinet is:
• Finance Minister: Bill Morneau
• International Trade Minister: Chrystia Freeland
• Transport Minister: Marc Garneau
• International Development Minister: Marie-Claude Bibeau
• Innovation, Science and Economic Development Minister: Navdeep Singh Bains
• Natural Resources Minister: James Carr
• Environment Minister: Catherine McKenna
• Infrastructure Minister: Amarjeet Sohi
• Agriculture Minister: Lawrence MacAulay
• Small Business Minister: Bardish Chagger
• Foreign Affairs Minister: Stephane Dion
• Treasury Board President: Scott Brison
• Employment Minister: MaryAnn Mihychuk
• Science Minister: Kirsty Duncan
• Public Safety Minister: Ralph Goodale
• Immigration Minister: John McCallum
• Indigenous and Northern Affairs Minister: Carolyn Bennett
• Government House leader: Dominc LeBlanc
• Justice Minister: Jody Wilson-Raybauld
• Public Services and Procurement Minister: Judy Foote
• Health Minister: Jane Philpott
• Families, Children and Social Development Minister: Jean-Yves Duclos
• Canadian Heritage Minister: Melanie Joly
• Revenue Minister: Diane Lebouthillier
• Veterans Affairs Minister: Kent Hehr
• Defence Minister: Harjit Sajjan
• Democratic Institutins Minister: Maryam Monsef
• Sports Minister: Carla Qualtrough
• Fisheries Minister: Hunter Tootoo
• Status of Women’s Minister: Patricia Hajdu
