Indigenous issues and interests take priority with appointment of Canada's 23rd Ministry
Oct. 5, 2015 (J. Fraser)
By now you have read, viewed and watched extensive coverage
of the officiating of Justin Trudeau as Canada’s 23rd Prime
Minister. He also announced his cabinet and 23rd Canadian
ministry.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau stated he would appoint an
equal amount of women and men to his cabinet and he has delivered on that
promise. The new cabinet represents a broad cross-section of Canadian people of
different ages, from diverse backgrounds and regions.
This includes two Indigenous people appointed to the
cabinet, Jody Wilson-Raybould as Minister of Justice and Attorney General of
Canada and Hunter Tootoo as Minister of Fisheries, Ocean and the Canadian Coast
Guard. Long time Indigenous advocate and former Liberal party critic Dr.
Carolyn Bennett was appointed Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Northern
Affairs.
Once Parliamentary Secretaries have been appointed, we will add them to this list.
Rt. Hon Justin Trudeau
(Also Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and Youth)
Cabinet Committees:
Chair - Cabinet Committee on Agenda and Results
Chair - Cabinet Committee on
Intelligence and Emergency Management
(Editorial Comments: Prime Minister Trudeau has campaigned on building a Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indigenous people, as Prime Minister and Intergovernmental affairs minister he will play a pivotal role in engaging Indigenous people and leadership)
Hon. Jody Wilson-Raybould
Cabinet Committees:
Vice-Chair - Cabinet
Committee on Canada in the World and Public Security
Vice-Chair - Cabinet
Committee on Intelligence and Emergency Management
Member - Cabinet Committee on Agenda and Results
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Diversity and Inclusion
Member - Canada in the World
and Public Security: Sub-Committee on Canada-United States Relations
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Open and Transparent Government
(Editorial Comments: Minister Wilson-Raybould as a senior Minister will have an important role in developing MMIW enquiry, working on Indigenous justice issues, reversing government litigation against First Nations and developing the Nation-to-Nation relationship with Indigenous peoples)
Hon. Hunter Tootoo
Cabinet Committees:
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Parliamentary Affairs
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Environment, Climate Change and Energy
(Editorial Comments - As Minister Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, Minister Tootoo is also the regional minister for the north. He will play an important role in being a voice for the north and from an Indigenous perspective engaging Indigenous people on management of Canada's waterways. With the recent capsizing incident of off Tofino, Indigenous people have said they should play a role in Canada's Coast Guard)
Hon. Carolyn Bennett
Cabinet Committees:
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Diversity and Inclusion
Member - Cabinet Committee on
Environment, Climate Change and Energy
(Editorial Comments - Minister Bennett has stated she sees her role as a minister of reconciliation, building bridges and engaging and consulting First Nations, Metis and Inuit people. The Trudeau government has committed to reviewing legislation imposed by the Harper government and ensuring Indigenous people have meaningful consultation and fulfill the duty to consult.)
Yvonne Jones
List of all Parliamentary Secretaries
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All Ministerial Mandate Letters include this preamble specific to Indigenous peoples: No relationship is more important to me and to Canada than the one with Indigenous Peoples. It is time for a renewed, nation-to-nation relationship with Indigenous Peoples, based on recognition of rights, respect, co-operation, and partnership.
You are expected to do your part to fulfill our government’s commitment to transparent, merit-based appointments, to help ensure gender parity and that Indigenous Canadians and minority groups are better reflected in positions of leadership.
Source: http://pm.gc.ca/eng/ministerial-mandate-letters
Individual Mandate Directives to be posted soon.
_______________________________
The Cabinet committee is a
set of Committees in the Canadian Federal Government that are responsible for
enacting the operations of the Government's agenda.
Learn more about Cabinet Committees and which Ministers sit
on specific committees: http://pm.gc.ca/sites/pm/files/docs/Cab_committee-comite.pdf
The full Canadian Cabinet (Ministry): http://pm.gc.ca/eng/cabinet
The names of several departments are being changed as
follows:
• Citizenship and Immigration Canada to Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Canada;
• Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development
Canada to Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada;
• Industry Canada to Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada
• Environment Canada to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
