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Anand Shifted From Defence Portfolio In Broad Cabinet Reshuffle

CANADA

Former Toronto Police Chief and long-standing minister Bill Blair has been appointed as Canada's new Defence Minister in PM Justin Trudeau's Cabinet reshuffle. He takes over from Anita Anand, who moves to head the Treasury Board, which oversees gov't spending in Canada. The other shifts of portfolio include Sean Fraser as Housing and Infrastructure Min, Dominic LeBlanc as Minister for Public Safety.

  • The replacement of Anand by Blair has raised some eyebrows, with the outgoing defence minister viewed as one of the few potential challengers to Trudeau or his heir apparent Freeland in any future Liberal Party leadership contest. The effective demotion to the position of President of the Treasury Board has been speculated on as an attempt to shift Anand from the public spotlight as the Canada's NATO point-person on Ukraine.
  • As expected, senior ministers such as Fin Min Chrystia Freeland, Foreign Min Melanie Joly, and Innovation Minister François-Philippe Champagne maintain their positions.
  • Jenna Sudds (Families Min), Rechie Valdez (Small Business Min), Ya’ara Saks (Mental Health & Addiction Min), Arif Virani (Justice Min), Gary Anandasangaree (Crown-Indigenous Relations), Soraya Martinez Ferrada (Tourism) and Terry Beech (Citizens' Services) all enter cabinet as rookie ministers.

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