Shuffle For The (Re-) Asking

Who Should Be Hired, Fired, And Promoted

This site’s scattershot coverage in June has been in large part because of the futility of going in on Ministers who, frankly, are unlikely to be in place by the August long weekend. But, given this shuffle is very obviously happening, it’s probably worth it to highlight what the government should do, and how this shuffle can and should strengthen the government - which, given this cabinet was appointed in minority and now serves in majority, is a very different government than it was in May 2025. So, enjoy 6 Shuffle-related thoughts.

Keep The Top Team (Mostly) Unchanged

Anand at Foreign Affairs is doing well, FPC is good at Finance, Joly is well suited to Industry and her time at Foreign gives her a leg up in negotiations with foreign players, and LeBlanc in a nebulous consigliere role in addition to the job of Handling Trump is probably his best usage. I haven’t loved Sean Fraser’s tenure as Attorney General and Minister of Justice but he’s fine in the House and it’s unclear to me whether I’m not loving his performance because he’s doing it badly or because he’s trying to straddle Trudeau-era commitments in a new age (and with a new PMO). Steve MacKinnon is an elite House Leader and a crucial part of this government’s successes so far. All of them should stay where they are.

You could keep McGuinty at Defence and I won’t be mad, but I’d rather shuffle him back to Public Safety, move Gary Anandasangaree to Natural Resources, and then give Tim Hodgson Defence. Hodgson has clearly shown he is this government’s most effective delivery focused Minister, and whatever you think of the MOU he has taken the job he was given to do and gotten it done in quick succession. Defence is the sick man of governance in this country, where big ambitions go to die, and a Minister who has an ability to cut through the dross and the dreck and get to an outcome is incredibly necessary in Defence right now.

Anandasangaree is competent and has done his job pretty well but being caught on tape undermining a central departmental policy - as he did with the gun buyback - means you get shuffled.

Promote Good Performers

This is where I will shill for two longstanding stars who should have, and didn’t, get the jobs they deserved in 2025, plus a couple of others. Taleeb Noormohamed has been one of the government’s best media performers, ably defending the government’s MOU and consistently showing himself to be one of the government’s best advocates for itself. At a time when BC is going to be a battleground against the NDP, another urban BC voice will be an asset around the cabinet table.

Peter Fragiskatos has proven to be a solid performer in the House over the years, and is the unanimous answer to everybody’s favourite Ottawa parlour question of “who should be promoted that hasn’t been yet?” He represents a region of Ontario the Liberals did very badly in in 2025, and will signal to non-Horseshoe Ontario they’re still a priority. Oh, and he’ll signal to caucus there’s a value in loyalty and competence.

Two new MPs - Corey Hogan and Claude Guay - have been the Parl Secs at the best department in government right now (National Resources), so both deserve promotions to Cabinet. Corey would be an inspired pick for a hived off Intergovernmental Affairs position, which would give Alberta another Minister and Hogan a profile boost going into the Alberta referendum, where he will be the Federal lead, whether formally or informally. Guay, a former IBM President, would make sense in an economic portfolio, even potentially his boss’ if Carney makes other choices with Anandasangaree.

Move Off Of Bad Decisions Fast

I do not think Gregor Robertson deserves to be in Cabinet from the way he’s done the job but I know he’s not going to be totally fired, so I’ll take what I can get. Get him the fuck out of this department. He does not know what he’s doing, he doesn’t seem to be willing to support the policies we need to bring about genuine affordability, and just because the housing reforms of the end days of Trudeau (that Carney is wisely keeping) has somewhat taken the pressure off housing for now, we still need a revolution of home building to ensure that genuine affordability is within our grasps. He doesn’t seem to want that.

His handling of Toronto’s refusal to implement the terms of the deal that Toronto and Ottawa signed was weak, and will make it harder for the country to build the housing we need. His failures have been off the front page in recent times, but he’s still a bad Minister for the department and his hiring was a mistake.

Where could we put him? It’s hard to find an obvious fit that isn’t a serious demotion, honestly. He would never take Environment or Natural Resources given the government’s policies in those areas, he doesn’t deserve a bigger job like Public Safety or anything above that level, and his bleeding heart progressivism doesn’t strike me as a great fit for Immigration. After the Marc Miller debacle - genuinely restrictionist policies that worked being sold by the absolute wrong salesman for them - I don’t want another bleeding heart, even if they’re fully committed to the government’s policy.

Joel Lightbound would be a very good Housing Minister, which would open up Public Works and Procurement, and would leave Gregor with a sizable department to run and one where he’s less likely to piss me, and everyone else, off. Let Lightbound - one of the Cabinet’s sharpest minds - cook at Housing and let Gregor get his feet more solidly under him in a less public role.

Other failures that should be fired include Lena Diab, whose handling of Immigration has been a mess. The government has a good record on immigration - significant net emigration, student numbers and TFWs down significantly - and yet Diab has managed to take a good news story where we are meeting what the public wants into a clusterfuck. Marjorie Michel has been a non-entity at Health, which isn’t good when the Canada Health Act is under threat from provinces (and when University-Rosedale just elected an esteemed Dr. to Parliament). And Rebecca Chartrand has been underwhelming at Northern and Arctic Affairs at a time when the country needs both a strong advocate for the North and Arctic and a strong plan for shared prosperity and growth.

Bring Karina Gould Back To Cabinet (Or Put Doly Begum In)

I do not like Karina. I am not particularly enamoured with the Karina Gould experience. But without Steven Guilbeault and Nate Erskine-Smith in caucus anymore, and Julie Debrusin not being allowed to publicly disavow the Toronto Airport expansion that I’m assuming (with no inside info, to be clear) that she hates, the left isn’t having a great time under Carney. So they need a gesture.

The reality is, Karina is a bit of a star with the kinds of voters who are considering voting for Avi’s NDP. I’m not enamoured with Karina, but I’m also not going to even consider Avi, so I’m not the target audience. I get that. Karina would be a reassuring sign to the left of the tent that is starting to (understandably!) question why there’s room in the tent for Marilyn Gladu but not seemingly Trudeau-era left liberals.

The other option for this goal would be Doly Begum, the former ONDP Deputy Leader who just won her seat in Scarborough. Traditionally I’d never suggest a brand new MP for Cabinet, but the Class of 2025 makes pretty clear that that rule doesn’t apply here. It’s been well reported that Carney and Gould aren’t on good terms, but whether it’s Karina or Doly, Carney needs to throw the left of the party a bone.

Don’t Take Atlantic Canada For Granted

With BC being watched for anger about pipelines and Danielle Smith being Danielle Smith and Ontario’s general heft and Quebec having a provincial election in the fall, Atlantic Canada hasn’t been very high on the political agenda recently. It’s understandable, but that doesn’t mean it should be forgotten.

Joanne Thompson’s ably handled Fisheries, and if the logic is she’s good at her job so she doesn’t need to be shuffled sticks I’d be thrilled. But she is a candidate for promotion, mostly because Atlantic Canada could use a third Minister around a big national portfolio. Just, don’t take the East Coast for granted - because that’s how we lose a dozen seats out there at the next election even if there’s a national swing to us.

For The Love Of God Don’t Let Any CPC Floocrossers Into Cabinet

If we give Idlout Northern and Arctic Affairs I’ll be perfectly fine with it, because I do like the idea of a Territorian advocating for the North. But if any of the four ex-CPCers get a job I will riot.