Ottawa.
Canada’s Public Safety Minister Dominic Rahe Leblanc was sworn in as Finance Minister at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Monday.
The new Finance Minister said after the ceremony that his top priorities will be lowering the cost of living for Canadians and strengthening relations with the United States.
LeBlanc, a special aide of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, recently attended a dinner with US President-elect Donald Trump Trudeau. The 57-year-old New Brunswick MP, first elected in 2000, is the son of former Governor-General Romeo LeBlanc. LeBlanc said he would keep the title of Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs. Earlier, Chrystia Freeland had suddenly resigned from the post of Finance Minister on Monday morning in a letter written to Trudeau. He said he was confused about the best path forward for the country. The Liberal government’s economic update released Monday afternoon showed the deficit was much larger than targeted for the fiscal year ending March 31. In his resignation letter, Freeland revealed that Trudeau had informed him the previous week that he no longer wished to see him in the role and had instead offered him another cabinet position. Trudeau did not immediately react to the resignation. The Trudeau government is reportedly developing plans to invest in increased border security and surveillance in response, but is also feeling pressure from Trump’s tough stance. The government was scheduled to table details of the border plan in Canada’s Parliament on Monday in an economic update to be delivered by Freeland. Freeland also had disagreements with Trudeau over government spending and details of the update came to light after his resignation. The updates come as Trudeau’s Liberal Party prepares for an election that should be held before the end of October next year. Trudeau has said he plans to remain at the top of the party. The Liberals do not have an outright majority, which could lead to a new election at any time if the ally New Democratic Party pulls out its support. Trump’s victory, meanwhile, has sparked domestic concerns that Canada could succumb to global anti-establishment trends, which could see the Conservative Party led by populist Pierre Poilievre return to power for the first time since 2015. Trudeau’s approval rating dropped to just 33 per cent in September after nearly a decade in power.
