Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil a cabinet on Tuesday that he promises will have gender parity and “Good regional distribution”. Like all prime ministers, he should make appointments that reflect the diversity of the country.
There are many reasons why Members of Parliament covet a place around the Cabinet table, such as the opportunity to have more power and influence. Ministers are also paid $ 88,700 in addition to the MP’s current annual base salary of $ 185,800 and are entitled to an official car and driver.
While we wait to find out who comes in and who leaves, here are some interesting facts about cabinetry and cabinetry.
Why are ministers called “honorable” for life?
Ministers are appointed for the Queen’s Privy Council by the Governor General on the recommendation of the Prime Minister. The Constitution states that the body – which includes former Cabinet ministers and other prominent Canadians, such as former Speakers of the House of Commons – is there to “help and advise” the crown.
Membership in this exclusive group lasts for life, unless the appointment is withdrawn by the Governor General on the advice of a prime minister.
- Chief political correspondent Rosemary Barton will have full coverage of the Cabinet Trudeau swearing-in on Tuesday starting at 9 a.m. AND on CBC News Network, cbc.ca, CBC Gem and wherever you broadcast CBC News.
Privy Councilors may use the title “honorable” and the initials “PC” after their name after swear to “keep secret all affairs committed and revealed” to them “in this capacity, or which will be secretly dealt with in Council”.
Should ministers be elected deputies?
No. Nothing prevents a Prime Minister from appointing someone to cabinet who does not already have a seat in the House of Commons. As noted in Minority Report last week, however, it is customary for such ministers to quickly obtain a seat in the House or Senate.
When he formed his first firm in 2006, Stephen Harper surprised many by appointing an unelected Montreal lawyer Michel fortier like his Minister of Public Works and Government Services. Fortier later became Minister of International Trade.
Harper appointed Fortier to the Senate a few weeks later, but said his minister would run for a House seat in the next federal election. This is exactly what Fortier did in 2008, leaving the upper house to run in the former Quebec riding of Vaudreuil-Soulanges, where he finished far behind the incumbent Bloc Québécois.
Jean Chrétien also appointed two unelected ministers in 1996: Stéphane Dion for intergovernmental affairs and Pierre Pettigrew for the international cooperation portfolio. Considered to be the star Liberals of Quebec, both were elected to the House in byelections two months later.
Should ministers have specific expertise in their portfolio?
Nope. The Minister of Agriculture does not need to know how to run a farm, for example (although that can be helpful).
Still, it’s hard to imagine a Prime Minister appointing a Minister of Justice and Attorney General who is not a lawyer. The Minister of Justice is responsible for shaping justice policy and the Attorney General provides legal services to the government, according to the Ministry of Justice.
But Privy Council Office spokesman Pierre-Alain Bujold told CBC News “there is no legal requirement that the post of Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada be held by a lawyer or a person with legal training ”.
Former prime minister Joe Clark, who was not a lawyer, was briefly the acting minister Justice and Attorney General in Brian Mulroney’s office from December 8, 1988 to January 29, 1989.
How many prime ministers were previously ministers?
While a place in cabinet is seen as a possible stepping stone to the big chair, the last two prime ministers – Trudeau and Harper – were not ministers or government before assuming power. Brian Mulroney was also never a minister or a member of government before becoming prime minister.
Fifteen 23 people who have served as prime ministers so far had previous ministerial experience on their resumes.
The Ministry of Finance seems to be the best job for those with higher ambitions; five former finance ministers have become prime ministers. Trudeau has already announced that Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland will retain this role.
Several premiers have also assumed ministerial portfolios while occupying the large chair. And some, like Joe Clark, have served as ministers after previously serving as prime minister.
Who were the youngest ever named?
Jean Charest holds the record for the youngest MP appointed to Cabinet. He was 28 when Mulroney appointed him Minister of State for Youth in 1986.
Karina Gould, the current Minister of International Development, was 29 when she was first appointed to cabinet in 2017 as Minister of Democratic Institutions. Her appointment made her the youngest female minister.
Which were the biggest and smallest cabinets?
The number of people in a prime minister’s inner circle has varied over the years. The Library of Parliament has listed the size of federal cabinets over 150 years ago.
According to their data, Prime Ministers John A. Macdonald and Alexander Mackenzie had the smallest cabinets – 13 members each (including themselves) in 1870 and 1874, respectively.
In the modern era, Kim Campbell had a 24-person cabinet (including herself) in 1993, all full ministers.
Harper and Mulroney are tied for the biggest firms with 40 each, including themselves. Mulroney named his after coming to power in 1984. After a cabinet reshuffle in 2015, Harper had 26 ministers and 13 ministers of state advise him.
Trudeau has not appointed a minister of state since taking office in 2015. The cabinet he appointed in January had 37 ministers, including himself.
What is the “interim ministers minute”?
It can also be expected that Trudeau will soon issue a cabinet pecking order to consult in an emergency.
The “Minute of interim ministers” published by the Privy Council Office, lists the order of ministers who would act on behalf of the prime minister, at least temporarily, “if the latter is prevented from exercising the functions of his office”.
Although this is mainly a custom, the list has attracted a few extra attention in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the most recent version from February, Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland is at the top of the table.
Watch: Freeland says government will start canceling pandemic relief programs
![](https://thumbnails.cbc.ca/maven_legacy/thumbnails/604/90/ftrFREELANDcrbbenefitsendingOCT21_1800kbps_1280x720_1964512323988.jpg?crop=1.777xh:h;*,*&downsize=510px:* 510w")
Deputy Premier Chrystia Freeland today announced in Ottawa that the government will put in place more targeted programs for businesses still feeling the effects of COVID-19. 2:53
The ministers following her are listed by when they were first sworn in to Cabinet, placing veterans Lawrence MacAulay and Carolyn Bennett in second and third places.
MacAulay was appointed to the firm in 1993, while Bennett was appointed in 2003.
Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, who became the most recent member of the current cabinet in January, is listed at the bottom. He is set to evolve if he is reappointed this week and new faces join the cabinet.
The document also indicates who would step in as acting minister for a cabinet colleague who is “unable to perform the duties of his office” and lists secondary acting ministers – just in case.
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