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Rapid Recap: Mark Carney Sworn in as Prime Minister Alongside New Cabinet and Minister of Health

March 14, 2025March 17th, 2025

Rapid Recap: Mark Carney Sworn in as Prime Minister Alongside New Cabinet and Minister of Health

 

March 14, 2025 –The Governor General of Canada, Mary Simon, has sworn in Mark Carney as the 24th Prime Minister of Canada, as well as his cabinet, forming the 30th Canadian Ministry. On Sunday, March 9, Mark Carney won the Liberal leadership in a landslide victory with 85.9% of the vote. Notably, there is a new Minister of Health, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry, and Minister of Finance.

Insights

  • Carney’s Team: Carney’s Team: Prime Minister Carney’s cabinet includes three first-time Ministers. The Conservative Party of Canada’s (CPC.) Leader, Pierre Poilievre, has already pointed out that this may leave Carney struggling to differentiate himself from former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. With that said, when choosing from a largely “Team Trudeau” caucus, there is a limited pool to pull from to make a clear distinction.

  • Election Timeline: The Prime Minister will travel to Europe next week on his first international trip in the role. With opposition parties indicating an intention to vote no-confidence at the earliest opportunity, he may seek to send Canadians to the polls ahead of Parliament’s scheduled return on March 24.

  • Trade Relations Focus: Regardless of when an election is called, tensions with the United States are expected to continue. For this reason, it’s clear there is a focus on having a strong team in place to navigate those files even through a writ period.

Cabinet Roles

Many cabinet portfolios have been merged or renamed. Notably, Mental Health and Addictions is no longer a separate portfolio from Health. Seniors is no longer a file alongside Labour, and likely falls under the “Jobs and Families” file, though that is yet to be confirmed. There is limited representation from the Prairie provinces, with only the Honourable Terry Duguid, Minister of Environment and Climate Change, representing the region. There is also no cabinet representation from Prince Edward Island.

The full list of cabinet members can be found here.

First-time ministers include Arielle Kayabaga, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons and Minister of Democratic Institutions. Kody Blois, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and Rural Economic Development, and Ali Ehsassi who will serve as Minister of Government Transformation, Public Services and Procurement.

 

The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Health

Minister Kamal Khera was first elected as MP for the riding of Brampton West, Ontario in 2015. She has previously held two Cabinet positions, including Minister of Seniors (2021 to 2023) and Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities (2023 to 2024).

Khera also held various Parliamentary Secretary roles over Trudeau’s tenure, including Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health between 2015 and 2017 under the tenure of the Hon. Jane Philpott. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Minister Khera volunteered and administered vaccines at a long-term care facility in Brampton and, as a nurse, she worked in the palliative care and oncology units at St. Joseph’s Health Centre, Toronto. She has also been vocal in the past about the government needing to do more to support and protect Canadian seniors.

Mark Holland, the most recent Minister of Health under former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, has been removed from cabinet. He announced on March 13 that he would not be running in the upcoming federal election.

The Honourable Anita Anand, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry

Minister Anita Anand was first elected as MP for the riding of Oakville, Ontario in 2019. She has held numerous cabinet positions, including Minister of Public Services and Procurement, overseeing Canada’s procurement of vaccines, rapid tests and personal protective equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic. She was also formerly the Minister of National Defence (2021 to 2023) and Minister of Transport and Internal Trade (2024 to 2025). Minister Anand also served as the President of the Treasury Board from 2023 to 2025, where she spearheaded a government spending review.

 

 

 

The Honourable Steven MacKinnon, Minister of Jobs and Families

Minister Steven Mackinnon has served as MP for Gatineau since 2015 and has held three different cabinet positions, including Chief Government Whip (2021 to 2024), Minister of Seniors and Labour (2024) and Interim Leader of the Government in the House of Commons (2025).

 

 

 

 

The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance

Minister François-Philippe Champagne was first elected as MP for Saint-Maurice–Champlain in 2015. He has served in four previous cabinet positions, including Minister of International Trade (2017 to 2018), Minister of Infrastructure and Communities (2018 to 2019), Minister of Foreign Affairs (2019 to 2021), and Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry (2021 to 2025).

 

 

What Happens Next?

Prime Minister Carney convened his cabinet today and shortly afterwards announced his cabinet agreed to officially end the consumer carbon price. Prime Minister Carney says people who have been getting a rebate on the carbon price will get one final payment for the next quarter in April.

He also spoke on his government’s two main goals: protecting Canadian workers and families and “putting more money in Canadians’ pockets”. He promised to build more homes and limit government spending, and he further emphasized his goal of one Canadian economy by breaking down interprovincial trade barriers.

Carney will kick off next week with a trip to Europe, including stops in London and Paris. This trip comes on the heels of the European Union announcing retaliatory trade action on the U.S.

Parliament is set to resume on March 24, after a two-month prorogation. Both the New Democratic Party (NDP) and the CPC have stated their intention to vote no-confidence at the earliest opportunity, triggering an election. However, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh has called on the government to recall the House to pass emergency measures to help Canada deal with the tariff war with the U.S.

Carney has not yet committed to an election date, despite widespread speculation of an election being called before March 24. He has stated that further information regarding his election plans will be released in the coming days. The election or campaign period must be at least 37 days and no more than 51 days. Election day must also fall on a Monday except in rare circumstances, meaning Parliament is typically dissolved on a Sunday, with the election kicking off on a Monday. The Prime Minister may seek to send Canadians to the polls before the House returns on March 24, putting election day as sometime between April 28 and May 12.