November 4, 2015

Liberal Cabinet Announced: John McCallum is Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship Minister!

Posted by Mario Bellissimo - Bellissimo Law Group PC

Today, newly-elected Prime Minister Justin Trudeau introduced his cabinet to the rest of the country. Members are being formally sworn-in at a ceremony in Rideau Hall.

Long time immigration critic, John McCallum is the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship.  Ralph Goodale is the Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Minister (CBSA), and MaryAnn Mihychuk as the Employment Workforce Development and Labour Minister.

McCallum was elected as the first-ever MP for Markham-Thornhill on October 20th –a new riding introduced in the latest Federal Election. He previously worked as the chief economist for RBC, as well as an economics professor at a number of universities in Canada. Though this may be McCallum’s first stint as the Immigration Minister, it is not his first time being called to serve as a member of a PM’s cabinet. Since being elected in 2000, he held many positions including Minister of National Defense.

Ralph Goodale was raised in Saskatchewan and was first elected in 1974. In 1980, he became the leader of the provincial Liberal Party, and later became the country’s Finance Minister. Goodale is also the MP for the Wascana constituency in Saskatchewan.

MaryAnn Mihychuk was first elected as a member of the NDP in Manitoba, in 1995. Since then, she has become a member of the Liberal Party and is the founder of several organizations that recognize the work of women in mining. These are Women in Mining Canada and Women in Mining Manitoba. She is also a notable leader in renewing The Mines Act.

This is an exciting, and certainly busy, day in Canadian politics with the first of many changes to come!

(Source)