From veteran MPs to political newbies, CTVNews.ca has compiled some facts and biographical information about members of Justin Trudeau's Liberal cabinet.
UPDATED March 18, 2019 to reflect the latest cabinet shuffle.
Joyce Murray – Treasury Board President & Minister of Digital Government
Riding: Vancouver Quadra (B.C.)
First elected to parliament: 2008
Past profession: Businesswoman, provincial cabinet minister
Social media: (@joycemurray)
March 18, 2019 update: In a cabinet shufffle, the longtime Liberal MP succeeded Jane Philpott, who resigned because of the way the government was handling the SNC-Lavalin scandal.
Murray was parliamentary secretary to the Treasury Board throughout the current Liberal government's mandate. She'll take on overseeing the federal public service and intergovernmental spending as part of her portfolio.
Fact: Murray co-founded a group of re-forestation companies with her husband. She was born in Schweizer-Reneke, South Africa, and emigrated to Canada with her parents in 1961.
Lawrence MacAulay - Minister of Veterans Affairs
Riding: Cardigan (P.E.I.)
First elected to parliament: 1988
Past profession: Potato and dairy farmer
Social media: (@L_MacAulay)
March 1, 2019 update: MacAulay was shuffled from Agriculture to become Minister of Veterans Affairs, following the resignation of Jody-Wilson Raybould from cabinet on Feb. 14.
A long-time Liberal MP, MacAulay has served as the solicitor general of Canada, minister of labour and secretary of state for veterans affairs and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency. He has also served as the opposition critic for fisheries and the opposition critic for seniors.
Fact: MacAulay is P.E.I.’s longest-serving MP.
Marie-Claude Bibeau - Minister of Agriculture
Riding: Compton-Stanstead (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Former CIDA employee and campground owner
Social media: (@mclaudebibeau / Facebook)
March 1, 2019 update: Bibeau is shuffled from International Development to become Minister of Agriculture, replacing Lawrence MacAulay.
July 18, 2018 update: The Minister of International Development loses the additional portfolio of La Francophie, which was given to Melanie Joly in a cabinet shuffle.
Fact: Bibeau had a varied career before making the jump into politics. She started at the now-defunct Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), working in Canada and Africa. For the past 15 years, she’s co-owned a small tourism business called Camping de Compton. She is also the executive director of the Sherbrooke Museum of Nature and Science.
Fact: Bibeau is married to Sherbrooke Mayor Bernard Sévigny.
Maryam Monsef - Minister of International Development & Status of Women
Riding: Peterborough-Kawartha (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Mayoral candidate, community engagement
Social media: (@MaryamMonsef / Facebook)
March 1, 2019 update: Took on additional portfolio of International Development after Marie-Claude Bibeau was shuffled to Agriculture.
Jan. 10, 2017 update: Succeeded Patty Hajdu to become Minister of Status of Women. Previously was Minister of Democratic Institutions.
Monsef's family fled the Taliban in Afghanistan, moving to Peterborough. She is a graduate of Trent University and has been a member of more than 30 community-based action committees in Peterborough. In 2014, she ran for mayor of Peterborough, finishing a close second to Mayor Daryl Bennett.
Fact: Monsef co-founded the Red Pashmina Campaign, which raised over $150,000 for women and girls in Afghanistan.
David Lametti - Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Riding: Lasalle—Emard—Verdun (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Law professor
Social media: (@DavidLametti / Facebook)
Before his promotion in the Jan. 14, 2019 cabinet shuffle, Lametti was serving as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development.
He earned his degrees in common and civil law at McGill University in 1989, then his masters of law from Yale and a doctorate from Oxford. He was born in Port Colborne, Ont., to Italian immigrants.
Fact: Lametti is an internationally-recognized expert in property and intellectual property and has taught or lectured in universities around the world.
Bill Morneau - Minister of Finance
Riding: Toronto Centre (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Businessman
Social media: (@Bill_Morneau / Facebook)
Until his federal win, Morneau was the executive chair of one of Canada’s largest human resources firm, Morneau Shepell, a firm founded by his father. He’s also a former chair of the economic think-tank, the C.D. Howe Institute. During his career, he was appointed by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne to an expert panel to recommend an Ontario pension supplement to the Canada Pension Plan; the panel was led by former prime minister Paul Martin. He also served as one of Trudeau’s economic advisers and is the co-author of The Real Retirement: Why You Could Be Better Off Than You Think and How to Make That Happen.
Fact: In 2014, Morneau helped open the Morneau Shepell Secondary School for Girls in Kenya’s Kakuma refugee camp. The school educates Somali and Sudanese youth.
Chrystia Freeland- Minister of Foreign Affairs
Riding: University-Rosedale (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2013
Past profession: Journalist
Social media: (@cafreeland / Facebook)
January 2017 update: Formerly Minister of International Trade, Freeland succeeded Stephane Dion to become Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Freeland was a relative newcomer to the Liberal Party before the 2015 election. The former journalist announced her resignation from her position at Thomson Reuters in 2013 to run in a byelection to replace Bob Rae in the riding of Toronto Centre. A year after that win, Freeland was appointed international trade critic for the party. Instead of running in her old seat this time around, however, she instead opted to run in the newly-created riding of University-Rosedale.
Fact: Freeland speaks five languages: English, French, Ukrainian, Russian and Italian.
Ralph Goodale - Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness
Riding: Regina-Wascana (Saskatchewan)
First elected to parliament: 1974
Past profession: Career politician, though he has worked in the fields of business, agriculture, law and broadcasting.
Social media: (@RalphGoodale / Facebook )
Goodale was first elected to the House of Commons as the MP for Assiniboia in 1974 at the young age of 24, a seat he held for five years. He then took a break from federal politics to lead the Saskatchewan Liberal Party, before returning to Parliament in 1993.
He has held the Regina-Wascana seat (previously known as just Wascana) ever since, earning him the nickname “King of Wascana.” During that time, he has served as finance minister under Paul Martin and, most recently, as deputy leader of the Liberal Party.
Fact: Goodale is the only MP to serve under both Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Justin Trudeau.
Seamus O’Regan – Minister of Indigenous Services
Riding: St. John’s—Mount Pearl (Newfoundland and Labrador)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Broadcaster
Social media: (@SeamusORegan / Facebook)
Jan. 14, 2019 update: O'Regan was appointed Minister of Indigenous Services, succeeding Jane Philpott, after serving as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence since Aug. 28, 2017.
Aug. 28, 2017 update: O’Regan was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of Defence in a cabinet shuffle, succeeding Kent Hehr.
Before running in the 2015 election, O’Regan worked as assistant to Environment Minister Jean Charest in Ottawa and as a policy advisor and speechwriter to Brian Tobin, former premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Fact: O’Regan co-hosted CTV’s Canada AM for nearly 10 years before becoming a correspondent for CTV National News for 2 years.
Bernadette Jordan - Minister of Rural Economic Development
Riding: South Shore—St. Margarets (Nova Scotia)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Hospital fundraiser
Social media: (@BernJordanMP / Facebook)
Jordan became Nova Scotia’s only female MP when she was part of the Liberal sweep of the province in the 2015 federal election.
Before entering politics she was a development officer in charge of organizing fundraising events for the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore. She is originally from West Dublin in Lunenburg County and is the daughter of Scottish immigrants.
Fact: Jordan was selected by her fellow Atlantic Canadian MPs to serve as Chair of the Atlantic Liberal Caucus, and she introduced a private members’ motion, M-40, to call on the government to address the issue of abandoned and derelict shipping vessels across Canada.
Carolyn Bennett - Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Riding: Toronto-St. Paul’s (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 1997
Past profession: Family physician
Social media: ( @Carolyn_Bennett / Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: The Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations drops the portfolio of Northern Affairs, which was given to Dominic LeBlanc.
Bennett has held the seat of Toronto-St. Paul’s (formerly just St. Paul’s) since 1997. She is a former family physician and professor at the University of Toronto.
Bennett ran for the leadership of the Liberal Party in 2006, but withdrew to throw her support behind Bob Rae. Most recently, Bennett served as party's critic for aboriginal affairs and northern development.
Fact: Bennett is the author of “Kill or Cure? How Canadians Can Remake their Health Care System,” published in October 2000, and served as Minister of State for Public Health under Paul Martin.
Dominic LeBlanc - Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade
Riding: Beauséjour (New Brunswick)
First elected to parliament: 2004
Past profession: Lawyer and special adviser to Jean Chretien
Social media: (Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: LeBlanc became Minister of Intergovernmental and Northern Affairs and Internal Trade.
Aug. 19, 2016 update: LeBlanc's former role as government House Leader was assigned to Bardish Chagger. LeBlanc remained as fisheries minister, a role he took on after Hunter Tootoo resigned in the Spring.
LeBlanc was first elected in 2000 in the riding of Beausejour and has held onto the riding ever since. The former lawyer ran for leadership of the party in 2008, but dropped out of the race to endorse Michael Ignatieff.
LeBlanc most recently served as the Liberal party's house leader. LeBlanc is the son of former governor general Romeo LeBlanc, who also served as an MP from 1972 to 1984, and as a senator from 1984 to 1994.
Fact: He was a childhood chum of Justin Trudeau, as their two fathers were old friends who would often take their sons to a fishing camp in Miramichi for summer vacations.
Navdeep Bains - Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development
Riding: Mississauga-Malton (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2004, but lost his seat in 2011
Past profession: Revenue and cost analyst
Social media: (@NavdeepSBains / Facebook/ Instagram)
Bains isn't exactly a rookie -- he's returning to parliament and knows his way around the committees. Bains previously served as the MP for Mississauga-Brampton South from 2004 to 2011, when he was defeated by then-Conservative Eve Adams.
Bains is a distinguished visiting professor at Ryerson University’s Ted Rogers School of Management. He is a certified management accountant, and was a financial and accounting analyst for years at Ford Motor Company. In his years outside of Ottawa, he played a big role in Justin Trudeau’s leadership campaign.
Fact: At 26 years old, Bains was the youngest MP in the Liberal caucus when initially elected in 2004.
Jean-Yves Duclos - Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Riding: Quebec (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Director of Economics at Universite Laval
Social media: (@jyduclos/ Facebook)
Duclos is an economics expert, published author and conference speaker.
He is involved with a number of economic associations, including the Canadian Economics Association and C.D. Howe Institute. He is also the co-founder of the Poverty and Economic Policy Research Network.
Fact: In 2014, Duclos was made a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the highest accolade bestowed on Canadian researchers.
Marc Garneau - Minister of Transport
Riding: Notre-Dame-de-Grâce-Westmount (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2008
Past profession: Astronaut and Navy commander
Social media: (@MarcGarneau / Facebook)
Known by many more for his exploits in space than on Earth, the former astronaut represented the downtown Montreal riding of Westmount-Ville Marie, and now represents the redrawn riding of Notre-Dame-de-Grace-Westmount. Garneau initially made a bid for Liberal leadership in 2012, but eventually withdrew and threw his support behind Trudeau. Most recently, he served as the Liberal foreign affairs critic.
Fact: Garneau started his career in the Royal Canadian Navy and rose to the rank of Commander, before becoming the first Canadian to fly in space in 1984. He went on to become the president of the Canadian Space Agency.
Jim Carr- Minister of International Trade Diverification
Riding: Winnipeg South Centre (Manitoba)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Founding CEO of Business Council of Manitoba, journalist, musician
Social media: (@jimcarr_wpg/ Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: Carr becomes Minister of International Trade Diversification, a new title. His previous Natural Resources portfolio is given to Amarjeet Sohi.
Prior to entering public life, Carr worked as a journalist with the Winnipeg Free Press and the CBC. In 1988, he was elected as provincial MLA for Fort Rouge and eventually became deputy leader of Manitoba’s Liberal Party. He then went on to found the Business Council of Manitoba in 1997, before running for the Liberals at the federal level this year.
Fact: Carr began his career as a musician, and played oboe with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra.
Mélanie Joly - Minister of Tourism, Official Languages and La Francophonie
Riding: Ahuntsic-Cartierville (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Lawyer, communications partner, mayoral candidate
Social media: (@melaniejoly / Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: Joly's Canadian Heritage portfolio went to Pablo Rodriguez in a cabinet shuffle. She was given the new portfolios of Tourism, Official Languges and La Francophonie.
Joly was the runner-up in the 2013 Montreal mayoral race, losing to Denis Coderre but taking a quarter of the vote. A lawyer by trade, Joly practiced in Montreal before jumping into communications at international firm Cohn & Wolfe. Joly also helped organize Trudeau’s Liberal leadership campaign.
Fact: Joly was named Elle Quebec’s Woman of the Year in 2008 in the “up and coming” category.
Diane Lebouthillier - Minister of National Revenue
Riding: Gaspesie-Les Iles-de-la-Madeleine (Quebec)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Social worker
Social media: (@dilebouthillier/Facebook)
Before entering politics, Lebouthillier was a social worker at the Rocher Percé Health and Social Services Centre for 23 years. In 2013, she was awarded a Certificate of Appreciation by the Royal Canadian Legion for her work. She is a mother of three adult sons and grandmother to one grandson.
Fact: She's the owner of La Ferme du Petit Moulin, a farm-based retreat in Gaspe that boasts seven chalets.
Catherine McKenna - Minister of Environment and Climate Change
Riding: Ottawa Centre (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: International trade lawyer
Social media: (@cathmckenna / Facebook)
Considered a star Liberal recruit, McKenna defeated longtime Ottawa-Centre NDP MP Paul Dewar on Oct. 19. The international trade lawyer brings a wealth of experience to the table, including her time as a former legal adviser to the negotiator for the United Nations peacekeeping mission in East Timor. She is also a board member at the Trudeau Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies and has taught at the University of Toronto’s Munk School of Global Affairs.
Fact: While studying at the University of Toronto, McKenna was captain of the national championship varsity swim team.
Harjit Singh Sajjan - Minister of National Defence
Riding: Vancouver South (B.C.)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Police officer and soldier
Social media: (@HarjitSajjan / Facebook)
Sajjan and his family immigrated to Canada from India when he was five years old, and he grew up in South Vancouver. The former police detective and highly decorated lieutenant-colonel has served three tours in Afghanistan and one in Bosnia. Brigadier-General David Fraser once said that Sajjan was “the best single Canadian intelligence asset in theatre” and “single-handedly changed the face of intelligence gathering and analysis in Afghanistan.” Harjit served 11 years with the Vancouver Police Department, most recently specializing in gang violence.
Fact: Sajjan was the first Canadian Sikh to command a Canadian military regiment.
Amarjeet Sohi - Minister of Natural Resources
Riding: Edmonton-Mill Woods (Alberta)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: City councillor
Social media: (@SohiAmarjeet / Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: Formerly Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Sohi became the new Minister of Natural Resources in a cabinet shuffle.
Sohi was first elected as an Edmonton city councilor in 2007. He has volunteered with Public Interest Alberta, the Centre for International Alternatives and the Canadian Labour Congress. Sohi is also a former member of the Edmonton Police Commission.
Fact: Sohi won his seat by just 92 votes, beating former Conservative MP Tim Uppal.
Carla Qualtrough - Minister of Public Services and Procurement and Accessibility
Riding: Delta (B.C.)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Lawyer
Social media: (@CQualtro / Facebook)
August 28, 2017 update: Formerly Minister of Sport and Persons with Disabilities, succeeded Judy Foote to become Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
A lawyer by training, Qualtrough has a background in human rights, inclusion and sport. She has worked as the vice-chair of the Workers’ Compensation Appeal Tribunal of B.C.and legal counsel for the B.C.Human Rights Tribunal and the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
Fact: Qualtrough has been visually impaired since birth. She competed in the 1988 Seoul and 1992 Barcelona Paralympic Games, winning three medals in swimming.
Kirsty Duncan - Minister of Science & Sport
Riding: Etobicoke North (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2008
Past profession: Medical geographer
Social media: (@KirstyDuncanLIB / Facebook)
July 28, 2018 update: In a cabinet shuffle, the Minister of Science gains the portfolio of Sport.
Duncan, a medical geographer, has taught at the University of Windsor, the University of Toronto and Royal Roads University. She has also served on the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, an organization that won the 2007 Nobel Prize with Al Gore.
Fact: Duncan is the author of two books: ‘Environment and Health: Protecting our Common Future’ and ‘Hunting the 1918 Flu: One Scientist’s Search for a Killer Virus.’
Patty Hajdu - Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Labour
Riding: Thunder Bay-Superior North (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Executive director for Shelter House, Thunder Bay’s largest homeless shelter
Social media: (@PattyHajdu / Facebook)
Jan. 10, 2017 update: Former Minister of Status of Women, Hajdu took on the portfolio of Minister of Employment, Workforce and Labour.
Hajdu is widely known for leading discussion on substance use, harm reduction, housing and public health in Thunder Bay, where she chaired the Drug Awareness Committee of Thunder Bay and authored the city’s drug strategy. She and her family have lived almost exclusively in Thunder Bay since 1980.
Fact: Hajdu is a frequent op-ed contributor to The Chronicle-Journal newspaper in northwestern Ontario.
Bardish Chagger - Government House Leader
Riding: Waterloo (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Community organizer
Social media: (@BardishKW / Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: Chagger's small business cabinet position was handed off to Mary Ng, but she retained her position as Leader of the Government in the House of Commons.
Aug. 19, 2016 update: Chagger was assigned the role of government House Leader, replacing Dominic LeBlanc who remains the fisheries minister -- a role he took over after Hunter Tootoo resigned and left the Liberal caucus in the Spring. Chagger retains her portfolio as minister of small business and tourism.
Prior to her work as a special projects coordinator at the Kitchener-Waterloo Multicultural Centre, Chagger worked as the executive assistant to former Kitchener-Waterloo MP Andrew Telegdi. She has volunteered with a number of community organizations, including the Interfaith Grand River, the Heart and Stroke Foundation and the Waterloo Rotary Club.
Fact: Chagger, who has been a resident of Waterloo her whole life, was a recipient of the Waterloo Region Record’s “40 under 40” award in 2012.
François-Philippe Champagne – Minister of Infrastructure and Communities
Riding: Saint-Maurice—Champlain (Quebec)
First elected to Parliament: 2015
Past profession: International trade specialist, lawyer and businessman
Social media: (@FP_Champagne / Facebook)
After becoming a lawyer, Champagne moved to Europe, where he worked for large multinationals, including the ABB Group in Switzerland and AMEC in England. His first job in government was as a parliamentary secretary to Finance Minister Bill Morneau and he first became a cabinet minister in 2017, when he replaced Chrystia Freeland as Minister of International Trade.
Fact: The World Economic Forum named Champagne a “young global leader” in 2009.
Karina Gould – Minister of Democratic Institutions
Riding: Burlington (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Consultant, community activists
Social media: (@karinagould / Facebook)
Jan. 10, 2017 update: Gould became the youngest-ever female federal cabinet minister, replacing Maryam Monsef in the role of Minister of Democractic Institutions. Previously, she served as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of International Development and as President of the Queen’s Privy Council for Canada.
Before she became an MP, Gould worked as a trade and investment specialist for the Mexican Trade Commission in Toronto and as a consultant in the U.S. She has a master’s degree from the University of Oxford in England.
Fact: In March 2018, Gould became the first federal cabinet minister to have a baby in office.
Ahmed Hussen - Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Riding: York South—Weston (Ontario)
First election to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Hussen specialized in immigration, refugee and criminal law, after getting his law degree from the University of Ottawa.
Social media: (@HonAhmedHussen)
Jan. 10, 2017 update: Hussen was appointed Minister of Immigration in a cabinet shuffle, marking him as the first Somali-Canadian to serve in cabinet. He succeeded John McCallum in the portfolio.
Hussen became the first Somali-Canadian elected to the House of Commons when he won his riding in the 42nd federal election. He’s received numerous honours for his public work, while practising law in Toronto before entering politics.
Fact: Hussen and his family left Mogadishu, Somalia during the civil war.
Ginette Petitpas Taylor – Minister of Health
Riding: Moncton—Riverview—Dieppe (New Brunswick)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Social Advocacy
Social media: (@GPTaylorMRD / Facebook)
Aug. 28, 2017 update: Petitpas Taylor was appointed Minister of Health in a cabinet shuffle, succeeding Jane Philpott.
Petitpas Taylor had a long career in social work – including fighting for the advancement and protection of women’s rights and a 23-year stint working for the Codiac RCMP as a victim services coordinator.
After assuming office in 2015 she was appointed deputy government whip and parliamentary secretary the finance minister.
Fact: She is the youngest of a family of nine children, and is fluently bilingual.
Pablo Rodriguez – Minister of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism
Riding: Honoré-Mercier (Quebec)
First elected to Parliament: 2004
Past profession: International development specialist and associate at public affairs firm
Social media: (@Rodriguez_Pab / Facebook)
Rodriguez, who was born in Argentina, fled to Canada with his family when he was eight years old after their home was bombed during the Dirty War and his father was tortured and repeatedly imprisoned. He served as the MP for Honoré-Mercier on and off since 2004 and has spent more than a decade working in public affairs and international development. The prime minister appointed him chief government whip in 2017.
Fact: Rodriguez served as Vice President of the Board of Oxfam-Quebec for more than four years.
Bill Blair, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction
Riding: Scarborough Southwest (Ontario)
First elected to parliament: 2015
Past profession: Chief of Toronto Police Service
Social media: (@BillBlair / Facebook)
July 18, 2018 update: Blair was promoted to cabinet in a newly-created portfolio, Minister of Border Security and Organized Crime Reduction. He’ll work closely with provincial premiers as well as politicians in the U.S.
In the 2015 election the former top cop and star Liberal candidate easily won his riding, which the Liberals lost in a previous election to the NDP.
On September 19, 2017, Blair assumed additional parliamentary secretary responsibilities assisting the Minister of Health. He’s acted as Trudeau’s federal point man on legalizing recreational marijuana use.
Fact: Blair served three decades in the Toronto Police Service, becoming police chief in Toronto from 2005 until April 2015.
Mary Ng – Minister of Small Business and Export Promotion
Riding: Markham-Thornhill (Ontario)
First elected to Parliament: April 2017
Past profession: Public servant
Social media: (@mary_ng / Facebook)
Ng and her family immigrated to Canada from Hong Kong when she was seven years old. Before she was asked to serve as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s director of appointments, she worked for the Ontario Public Service, the Ontario Minister of Education and in the President’s Office at Ryerson University, where she helped create Ryerson’s Digital Media Zone tech startup accelerator.
Fact: Ng worked for many years at the Chinese restaurant her parents owned in Toronto, first as a waitress and later as a delivery driver.
Filomena Tassi – Minister of Seniors
Riding: Hamilton West-Ancaster-Dundas (Ontario)
First elected to Parliament: 2015
Past profession: Lawyer, chaplain and schoolboard trustee
Social media: (@FilomenaTassiMP / Facebook)
Tassi, who is the daughter of a steelworker, previously worked for six years as a corporate lawyer and spent two decades as a chaplain at Bishop Tonnos Catholic Secondary School in Ancaster, Ont. Before her appointment to the newly created Ministry of Seniors, Tassi was the deputy government whip.
Fact: Tassi holds “tea and talk with Tassi” sessions with seniors in her hometown of Hamilton.
Jonathan Wilkinson – Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and Canadian Coast Guard
Riding: North Vancouver (B.C.)
First elected to Parliament: 2015
Social media: (@JonathanWNV / Facebook)
Wilkinson replaces New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc in the key portfolio. Heading into the 2019 federal election, he's responsible for several important issues in the West Coast including implentation of the government's $1.5-billion Ocean Protections plan.
He was previously parliamentary secretary to Environment Minister Catherine McKenna, and was one of Trudeau's key defenders of the government's purchase of the Trans Mountain pipeline.
Fact: He was born in Sault Ste. Marie but was raised in Saskatchewan. He became leader of the NDP's youth wing in Saskatchewan and served as deputy minister under former NDP premier Roy Romanow. He went to Oxford University as a Rhodes scholar.
