Ottawa is bracing for a cabinet reset. Prime Minister Mark Carney is expected to shuffle his cabinet on Thursday, according to reporting by The Logic on October 14, in what would be the most significant reordering of his ministry since he took office.
The headline move under discussion would send Industry Minister Melanie Joly to Foreign Affairs, making her Canada's top diplomat at a moment when the country's trade and security relationships are under unusual strain. Other changes are expected as ministers are moved, promoted or dropped, though the final lineup will only be confirmed when the new cabinet is sworn in.
Shuffles of this kind are rarely only about personnel. Moving a senior economic minister into the foreign-affairs job signals that the government sees its central challenge abroad — in trade talks, alliance management and the relationship with Washington — rather than at home.
Joly's current industry file has put her at the centre of the steel dispute with the United States, including Ottawa's confrontation with Cleveland-Cliffs over layoffs at Stelco in Hamilton. Whoever inherits that portfolio will inherit the same fight. Watch the swearing-in on Thursday for the full shape of the new team.
