Prime Minister Carney to name new cabinet Tuesday that could include tiered structure

Prime Minister Mark Carney’s new cabinet is expected to be larger than his first, but could include a tiered structure with a secondary ring of ministers.

Rideau Hall announced Friday that Carney and his cabinet will be sworn in Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. in Ottawa by Gov. Gen. Mary Simon.

Three Liberal sources tell CBC News that one of the options Carney’s considering is selecting a core group of senior ministers and a secondary group of ministers of state.

Several past Canadian governments have used ministers of state in different capacities. The model is also used in the United Kingdom, where Carney used to work as the Governor of the Bank of England, and where they’re considered mid-tier ministers.

A senior Liberal source said Carney is weighing using a core group of ministers who will meet more frequently and deal with central government issues. Whereas, ministers of state may not be given full government departments and could meet less often, the source said.

A way to keep core cabinet small

Another source said this move is one way Carney could keep his core cabinet smaller than his predecessor Justin Trudeau, who had 40 people around the table last year. Carney cut the number of ministers in his first cabinet to 24.

Two of the sources also suggested Cyrus Reporter and Marc-André Blanchard are being considered or pursued for Carney’s chief of staff.

Asked for comment Friday, Blanchard told CBC News that to his knowledge he’s not being pursued and hasn’t had any discussions about the role. 

Among his roles, Reporter served as Trudeau’s chief of staff while he was the Liberal leader and as a senior adviser to his office. Blanchard served as ambassador and permanent representative of Canada to the United Nations from 2016 to 2020.

Former public safety minister Marco Mendicino has been serving in that role — a choice that both Conservative and NDP leaders criticized.

CBC News agreed not to name the sources because they weren’t authorized to discuss details about the new cabinet.

Carney has said he’s committed to hitting gender parity in his next cabinet. His first cabinet included 13 men, including himself, and 11 women.

That smaller cabinet faced pushback from advocacy groups upset that ministers solely dedicated to their issues were no longer around the table. Missing from those ministers in March were the titles women, gender equality, youth, official languages, diversity, inclusion, persons with disabilities and seniors — all included in Trudeau’s cabinet. 

MPs earn an annual salary of $209,800, but the prime minister earns double that amount.

Carney’s cabinet ministers and ministers of state will see their base salary topped up with an additional $99,900, while secretaries of state in cabinet earn an additional $74,700.

Lawmakers will return to the House of Commons on May 26, just 28 days after Canadians voted in the federal election, the second-shortest time on record after the 21-day wait following the 1988 federal election.

While Carney has been prime minister since March 14, he was only elected to the House of Commons April 28. During the campaign Carney promised take quick action on a number of files that are expected to make this return to Parliament busy from the start. 

Some of those promises include removing federal barriers to interprovincial trade by Canada Day and rolling out a “Canada Strong Pass” that will provide youth 17 and under free access to national galleries and museums along with free seats on Via Rail when travelling with their parents.

Carney has also promised to make access to national parks and historic sites free this summer, along with reduced pricing for camping access.