Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc has taken over the finance portfolio following Chrystia Freeland’s surprise resignation from cabinet.
LeBlanc was sworn into the new role at Rideau Hall Monday afternoon shortly after the government tabled its fall economic statement, which Freeland was slated to present prior to her announcement Monday morning.
Following the brief swearing-in ceremony, LeBlanc spoke to reporters and re-affirmed his commitment to his newfound role.
“I believe that the Prime Minister remains very focused on the work that we have ahead of us. In my conversations with him today, we talked about the cost of living, public finances and the work that we have to carry out with the Trump administration, starting in January, and I believe that Canadians expect that we will remain focused on those issues,” said LeBlanc.
LeBlanc has been the public safety minister since last summer, before which he served in several other roles in Justin Trudeau’s cabinet, including as minister of intergovernmental affairs and fisheries minister. He will be retaining the public safety portfolio.
Rumours have been circulating for several months that Trudeau has been courting former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney to join his government as finance minister, but these have not come to fruition.
In her resignation letter, Freeland said she would remain in the Liberal caucus and run for re-election when Canadians go to the polls next.
Government House Leader Karina Gould will table the fall economic statement, but without the typical fanfare and accompanying speech.
Freeland was one of Trudeau’s most loyal and trusted ministers, having first served as his foreign affairs minister after the government formed in 2015.
Her resignation has sent shockwaves throughout Ottawa and plunged the fate of the Trudeau government into uncertainty with leaders of all opposing parties calling for Trudeau to step down.
Freeland said that she and the Prime Minister were “at odds about the best path forward for Canada” and that she was facing being shuffled to a different position in the cabinet.
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said the Liberals were “spiralling out of control” in a press conference on Monday.
“The Government of Canada itself is spiralling out of control right before our eyes and at the very worst time today, mere hours before Trudeau’s finance minister was to deliver a fall economic update that was expected to smash through her already massive deficit targets, she announced she no longer has confidence in the prime minister,” said Poilievre.
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh also stressed that Canadians were struggling with an affordability crisis and called on the Prime Minister to step down and call an election.
“Instead of focusing on these issues Justin Trudeau and the Liberals are focusing on themselves. That is why I am calling on Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to resign,” said Singh while speaking to reporters outside the House of Commons.
When asked whether he was willing to vote for a non-confidence motion, Singh said that “all options (were) on the table.”
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