Peterborough-Kawartha MP Maryam Monsef is now also Minister of International Development, in addition to her current portfolio as Minister for Women and Gender Equality.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made the announcement earlier today (March 1) as part of a Cabinet shuffle to fill the vacancy created when Jody Wilson-Raybould resigned as Minister of Veterans Affairs on February 12th.
Monsef takes over the International Development portfolio from Marie-Claude Bibeau, who is now Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food. Former Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food Lawrence MacAulay is now Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
“I’m excited to take on these new responsibilities, especially because they so meaningfully complement the work I’ve been doing as Minister for Women and Gender Equality,” Monsef writes on her Facebook page. “I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Minister Bibeau on issues touching women’s equality in Canada and abroad, and I am also deeply proud to see her achieving another gender equality first, as she becomes the first woman to serve as Minister of Agriculture and Agri-foods.
“The advancement of women’s equality continues to be a whole-of-government priority. When women thrive, whether here in Canada or abroad, we improve prosperity, peace and security for everyone. Between our Feminist International Assistance Policy, the strides we’ve made on equal pay for work of equal value, supporting women’s entrepreneurship, and action to combat gender-based violence, I look forward to building on this momentum and driving this agenda forward with all our energy.”
Trudeau tweeted that Monsef “has done an excellent job as Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Now she’ll also take on the role of Minister for International Development, where she’ll keep building on our work to empower women & girls around the world.”
.@MaryamMonsef has done an excellent job as Minister for Women and Gender Equality. Now she'll also take on the role of Minister for International Development, where she’ll keep building on our work to empower women & girls around the world. https://t.co/4E2FhsyxXO pic.twitter.com/senvMytrL8
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) March 1, 2019
Monsef was first appointed to Cabinet was as Minister of Democratic Institutions in November 2015, shortly after the Trudeau government was elected.
In January 2017, she became the Minister of Status of Women. In December 2018, she became the Minister for Women and Gender Equality following the passage of the Budget Implementation Act, 2018, No. 2, which included legislation to create the Department for Women and Gender Equality.
Friday’s Cabinet shuffle comes only two days after Wilson-Raybould told a parliamentary committee that she believes she was removed as Minister of Justice and Attorney General because she did not respond to political pressure to grant a deferred prosecution agreement to Quebec-based engineering and infrastructure company SNC-Lavalin on charges of bribery and corruption.
Trudeau appointed Wilson-Raybould as Minister of Justice and Attorney General in November 2015. The first Indigenous person and third woman to hold the office, she served in the position until a Cabinet shuffle on January 14, 2019 after Scott Brison, the former president of the Treasury Board, retired from federal politics.
During the Cabinet shuffle, Wilson-Raybould was appointed Minister of Veterans Affairs. At that time, she issued a public statement to respond to inquiries about why she was no longer the Minister of Justice and Attorney General.
“It has always been my view that the Attorney General of Canada must be non-partisan, more transparent in the principles that are the basis of decisions, and, in this respect, always willing to speak truth to power,” the statement read in part. “This is how I served throughout my tenure in that role.”
