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Wednesday 4 November 2015

Canada’s Trudeau Sworn in as Prime Minister, Unveils Equal Cabinet number of women and men

Prime Minister Trudeau is sworn in today - and his cabinet.
Thirty ministers - 15 men and 15 women.
First gender balanced cabinet in Canadian history.
A reporter asks him why the gender balance.
“Because it’s 2015,” he answers.

Newly sworn-in Prime Minister Justin Trudeau chose a cabinet with an equal number of men and women, making Canada the second Group of Seven country after France to achieve gender parity among government ministers as he signaled a shift in tone and policy after a decade of Conservative rule.


Mr. Trudeau’s Liberal Party won a majority in Oct. 19 elections, promising change to voters tired of the incumbent Conservatives amid a souring economy. His swearing-in ceremony and cabinet choices on Wednesday aimed to deliver on that pledge. Beyond balancing gender in his cabinet, Mr. Trudeau included a number of minorities, including Harjit Sajjan, a Sikh combat veteran put in charge of defense and Jody Wilson-Raybould, an aboriginal woman and former prosecutor as justice minister.



“This is a cabinet that looks like Canada,” Mr. Trudeau said after being sworn in at Rideau Hall, the official residence of the Governor-General, Queen Elizabeth II’s representative in Canada.


He told reporters the government’s first move would be to introduce legislation that cuts taxes for middle-income Canadians while raising rates for higher-income households. That plan was a key part of the platform that catapulted the Liberals to power from third place in Parliament in last month’s vote.


Mr. Trudeau is also looking to make a splash on the international stage, starting with the Group of 20 leaders’ summit in Turkey this month, when he will have an opportunity to meet U.S. President Barack Obama.

Mr. Trudeau will also likely be contending with the long-running Keystone XL pipeline, which was pushed by his predecessor but appears headed for rejection in the coming weeks or months by the U.S. State Department.

The Liberal government will recall Parliament on Dec. 3.

Mr. Trudeau’s cabinet choices reflected a caucus made up of both experienced lawmakers and newcomers with private-sector or other experience. He tapped Bill Morneau, a former head of a human-resources consultancy who is well known in Canadian financial-services circles, as finance minister. Mr. Morneau will have responsibility for spurring an economy experiencing tepid growth. Lower oil prices have put a chill on investment in Canada’s key energy sector, and remain a major significant drag on growth.

Chrystia Freeland, an author and former senior editor at Reuters and the Financial Times, was appointed trade minister. She will be responsible for the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade pact and will be in charge of a cabinet committee tasked with fostering U.S.-Canada relations, which Mr. Trudeau has identified as a priority given the recent strain over the Keystone XL pipeline project.

The new prime minister broke with tradition by leading his 30-member cabinet on a walk toward the swearing-in ceremony on the grounds of Rideau Hall, a more relaxed approach than the traditional procession of black sedans. Thousands of Canadians gathered on the grounds and waited hours for a glimpse of the new leader.

The swearing-in ceremony included lighter moments, including a throat singing performance by two 11-year-old Inuit girls from the Ottawa area. Among those in attendance was Margaret Trudeau, Mr. Trudeau’s mother and widow of former long-serving Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, Mr. Trudeau’s father.

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