What to expect as Carney set to swear in new cabinet
Prime Minister Mark Carney and his cabinet are set to be sworn in on Tuesday.
While it’s not known who will make up the new slate of ministers, there are some elements of a cabinet swearing-in that are common each time it happens and some challenging new realities that the cabinet will be shaped in order to address.
The swearing-in ceremony is expected to begin at 10:30 a.m. eastern at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
The swearing-in ceremony comes nearly two months to the day after Carney’s last one.
After he was elected as Liberal party leader, which had also made him prime minister leading up to the federal election as the leader of the party that formed government, Carney shuffled the federal cabinet and is now expected to do so again.
A new election means a new set of MPs for the prime minister to choose from.
Carney himself will not have to retake the oath of office as prime minister as he was sworn in two months prior. However, he can choose to do so again, and if he chooses to add a ministerial portfolio to his responsibilities, he will have to take the oath of office for that role.
Following this, ministers-designate are then sworn in to their portfolios in an order determined by the prime minister, including those who may be changing or adding new roles.
Those who return to the same roles won’t have to take another oath but can choose to do so.
Those taking on a ministerial role for the first time must take the oath of allegiance, oath of the members of the Privy Council and oath of office.
There are still no details on who could enter cabinet or remain in their jobs.
That information is not revealed publicly until the start of the ceremony, though typically, MPs will be seen walking up to Rideau Hall ahead of the swearing-in.
One of the questions around this new cabinet will be how large it could be.
When Carney’s first cabinet was sworn in, there were 23 members, not including the prime minister.
The Liberals have been elected or re-elected in 170 seats, though three are pending recounts that are expected to be finished after the cabinet is named.
The prime minister has committed to gender parity with his cabinet and said he would again have a smaller cabinet, though he did not say last week if it would remain at 23.
“I committed to an efficient cabinet, a focused cabinet, a cabinet with parity, gender parity and we’ll work towards it,” Carney said.
Regional representation will also be a factor, as prime ministers often try to have cabinet members from all parts of the country.
With the Liberals seeing their first MP in Saskatchewan since 2019, there is speculation about whether Buckley Belanger could make the cut, as well as about Alberta MPs Corey Hogan and Eleanor Olszewski, as Carney had no Alberta representation in his first cabinet.
It also remains to be seen whether Carney will choose members from P.E.I. and the territories, none of which currently have cabinet representation.
Also at hand is whether Carney will keep some ministers in key roles related to Canada’s ongoing relationship with the U.S.
President Donald Trump’s trade war was a major focus for Canadians in the recent federal election, with polling done by Ipsos exclusively for Global News showing it was one of the top concerns shaping voters’ minds.
Trump himself appeared to joke about helping Carney win the election.
International Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc, Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly and Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne all joined Carney when he met with Trump last week in Washington.
All eyes will be on whether they remain in those roles, especially as Carney faces ongoing talks with Trump regarding the various tariffs imposed on Canada.
The prime minister will, however, have to replace his health minister, as Kamal Khera lost re-election.
Regardless of who is named to cabinet, Carney and his ministers will need to negotiate with other parties to pass legislation in a minority government.
Parliament is expected to return on May 26, with King Charles III set to deliver the throne speech on May 27, the first time since 1977 that a monarch has delivered the address.
“This is an historic honour which matches the weight of our times,” Carney said. “I made the request of His Majesty and he has accepted, he will open Parliament with the Speech from the Throne, and that clearly underscores the sovereignty of our country.”
—with files from Global News’ Sean Boynton
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