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The rest are veterans from Justin Trudeau’s cabinets, including heavyweights like former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland, environmentalist Steven Guilbeault, and a host of others — a fact that Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre seized upon as evidence Carney’s Liberals remain the same tired team that governed since 2015. 

Carney also shifted key figures in major portfolios, including at foreign affairs and national defence, and dropped 10 members from cabinet. 

Those dumped included former pc28¹ÙÍøpolice chief Bill Blair, Vancouver’s long-time cabinet member Jonathan Wilkinson, and Beaches—East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who said he felt “disrespected” and disappointed in a series of .

At a news conference in the sun outside Rideau Hall, Carney trumpeted his new cabinet as the “perfect” mix of experience and new perspectives that would deliver the welcome change that Canadian voters wanted from their federal government with the Parliament elected last month. 

That means confronting the trade crisis with the United States, he said, but also pushing major initiatives to strengthen the Canadian economy — from removing internal trade barriers to fast-tracking new infrastructure and doubling the rate of housing construction.

“Of course, we have to address and come to a new arrangement with the American situation, but our primary focus is on the economy,” Carney said.

“We are at the start of an industrial transformation, the transformation of this economy,” he added. 

In an interview with CTV News on Tuesday afternoon, Carney signalled he was willing to change some Trudeau government policies to clear the way for new development projects like fossil fuel pipelines, including the Impact Assessment Act and the greenhouse gas emissions cap for the oil and gas sector that Conservatives criticized heavily during the campaign. 

“Absolutely, it could include both,” Carney said, adding that he will be focused on “results.”

Earlier, on Parliament Hill, Poilievre demonstrated a shift in tone from his more aggressive style before the election. The Conservative leader, who lost the riding he had represented in Ottawa since 2004, warmly congratulated Carney’s new cabinet. He also said his party wants Canada to succeed, and that the Conservatives are willing to support government efforts to address the crisis with the U.S., and any other proposals the Tories are proposing to boost the economy. 

“Steal my ideas! We’ve got great ideas,” Poilievre said, laughing and noting that Carney is removing the federal consumer carbon price and planned increase to capital gains taxes, two hotly contested Trudeau-era policies that the Conservatives opposed. 

Poilievre, however, cast doubt on Carney’s claim the government represents change, noting that several Trudeau ministers remain in top posts. 

“It’s more of the same when Canada needs real change,” he said. 

The cabinet overhaul saw a bevy of new ministers sworn in at Rideau Hall. Among the biggest moves was the appointment of political rookie Tim Hodgson (Markham—Thornhill) as natural resources and energy minister. The financial sector veteran was the board chair of Hydro One from 2018 until the April election campaign, and was a senior adviser to Carney when the prime minister was governor of Canada’s central bank. 

Former Vancouver mayor Gregor Robertson (Vancouver Fraserview—South Burnaby) joined the cabinet as Carney’s housing and infrastructure minister, a move Poilievre criticized because of decriminalized drugs and expensive housing in British Columbia’s biggest city. 

Meanwhile, Marjorie Michel, a senior adviser to Trudeau who was elected in the former prime minister’s Montreal riding of Papineau, was named minister of health. Evan Solomon, the former CBC and CTV broadcaster who was elected in pc28¹ÙÍøCentre, will serve in a new portfolio as minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation.

Mandy Gull-Masty, elected in the northern Quebec riding of Abitibi-Baie-James-Nunavik-Eeyou, was named minister of Indigenous services, becoming first Indigenous person to hold that portfolio. And new Edmonton MP Eleanor Olszewski will enter cabinet as emergency management minister, the sole Alberta representative at a time of agitation about separatism in the province. 

Julie Dabrusin, the long-serving MP for Toronto—Danforth, was named environment minister, sparking criticism from Alberta Premier Danielle Smith, who took to to call her “yet another anti-oil and gas” environment minister in Ottawa. 

Alongside those new faces, veterans from Trudeau’s cabinet remain at the table, including his long-time lieutenant Freeland, whom Carney kept as transport minister. Guilbeault, the Montreal MP whose time as environment minister drew Conservative ire over climate policies like the federal carbon price, also stayed as minister of Canadian identity and culture, while New Brunswick’s Dominic LeBlanc was named minister responsible for Canada-U.S. trade and intergovernmental affairs, and Quebec’s François-Philippe Champagne kept his role as finance minister. 

Other cabinet veterans got shuffled to new portfolios. Mélanie Joly, Canada’s foreign affairs minister since 2021, was moved to the industry portfolio, while Oakville MP and cabinet veteran Anita Anand was appointed foreign affairs minister. 

Similarly, Scarborough MP Gary Anandasangaree shifted to public safety as Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser replaced him as justice minister, while Ottawa MP David McGuinty was shuffled from public safety to defence — the latter a major priority as Carney promises to speed up military spending increases to finally achieve Canada’s North Atlantic Treaty Organization commitment to spend two per cent of GDP on defence. 

Carney also revived the full cabinet position for the women and gender equality portfolio, which some advocates had called for after he excluded it from his March cabinet, naming Mississauga’s Rechie Valdez to the job, which will also include a role as secretary of state for tourism. 

Among those dropped from cabinet — including some who served just a few weeks in the governing council that was appointed in March — are Nova Scotia’s Kody Blois, who was agriculture minister, Willowdale MP Ali Ehsassi, Montreal’s Rachel Bendayan, London MP Ariella Kayabaga, New Brunswick’s Ginette Petitpas Taylor and Quebec MP Jean-Yves Duclos. 

Although it is two seats shy of the 172 needed for a majority, Carney said Tuesday that his government nonetheless has a “strong mandate” to advance its agenda.

“Whether you voted for this government or not, we are in your service, in the service of building a stronger, more united Canada. We will build and we will govern for all Canadians,” he promised.

“Build big, build bold, build now.”