Immigration and multiculturalism influenced Trudeau’s new cabinet in various ways.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a cabinet reorganization on July 26th. He offered current ministers new portfolios and swore in new ones.
Despite the fact that cabinet changes are a typical process that takes place about every two years, the July shuffle is notable not only for how important it is to the approval of the present government but also for the cultural and ethnic variety that is reflected in Trudeau’s new cabinet. For more information on how immigration influenced one of the most diverse cabinets in Canadian history, continue reading below.
Immigration and multiculturalism influenced Trudeau’s new cabinet
Anita Anand
Anita Anand, who formerly held the positions of Minister of National Defense and Receiver General of Canada, is now the head of Canada’s Treasury Board. She currently represents the Oakville riding (i.e., electoral district) as a Member of Parliament (MP).
Daughter of Indian doctors who first emigrated to Canada from Nigeria in the early 1960s, Anand was born in Nova Scotia.
Anand had a successful academic career prior to entering politics. She earned tenure as a professor at the Queen’s University Faculty of Law, lectured as a guest at Yale Law School, and then joined the University of Toronto Faculty of Law in 2006, serving as associate dean from 2007 to 2009.
Ahmed Hussen
The currently serving international development minister is Ahmed Hussen.
Hussen was born and reared in Mogadishu, Somalia, and his family opted to emigrate to Canada in 1993 as refugees due to the violence of the Somalian civil war when he was 16 years old. Hussen’s parents moved him to Canada, where two of his older brothers already lived. Later on, he spent about two years there. He originally settled in the province of Ontario.
Prior to this, he held the positions of Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development, Minister of Housing, and Minister of Immigration, Refugees, and Citizenship. Additionally, he holds the office of MP for the vibrant York South—Weston riding.
Kamal Khera
The new Minister of Diversity, Inclusion, and Persons with Disabilities is Kamal Khera.
Kamal Khera was an immigrant from India and was born in New Delhi. He initially came to Canada when she was ten years old.
She was elected as the MP for the Brampton West riding at the age of 26, making her one of the youngest women in Canadian history. Prior to this, Khera worked as the minister of health, national revenue, and international development’s parliamentary secretary. He held the position of Minister of Seniors before being appointed Minister of Diversity.
Marry Ng
Export Promotion, International Trade, and Economic Development Minister, Mary Ng was recently appointed.
Ng is the oldest of Ng’s three siblings and was born in British Hong Kong in 1969. The family moved to Canada when she was seven years old, opening their first restaurant in Toronto.
She has worked in the public sector for a significant 20 years, including positions at the Ontario Cabinet Office, the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario, and as the Director of Policy for the Minister of Education of Ontario, Gerard Kennedy. She has been riding’s representative since 2017 in Markham—Northhill.
Pablo Rodriguez
The new transportation minister is Pablo Rodriguez.
When Rodriguez was eight years old, his family left Argentina after their home was attacked during the “Dirty War”. The attack occurred because of his father’s advocacy against the military junta. Rodriguez was born in San Miguel de Tucumán, Argentina.
He held the positions of Minister of Cultural Heritage, Leader of the Government House of Commons, and Chief Government Whip before being appointed Minister of Transportation. Since 2015, he has served as the Liberal Party’s Lieutenant Governor of Quebec. Also, he served as a representative for the Honoré-Mercier riding in Quebec.
Harjit S. Sajjan
The following emergency planning minister and head of Canada’s King’s Privy Council is Harjit S. Sajjan.
On September 6, 1970, Sajjan was born in Punjab, India. When Sajjan was five years old, he and his mother and elder sister immigrated to Canada to join his father, who had already traveled to British Columbia (where Sajjan would later grow up) two years earlier to start working in a sawmill.
Sajjan formerly held the positions of minister of veteran’s affairs, minister of national defense, and minister of international development, in addition to a lengthy career in law enforcement and the military. Since his election in 2015, he has served as the representative for Vancouver South in British Columbia.
Immigration and multiculturalism influenced Trudeau’s new cabinet – who are the new members?
Gary Anandsangaree
The current Minister of IRCC, Marc Miller, was the minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations before Gary Anandasangaree.
Anandasangaree, who is of Sri Lankan descent, first traveled to Canada with his mother in 1983 as a refugee to escape the bloodshed of the Black July Anti-Tamil riots that had engulfed the nation then.
Anandasangaree had a long career as a lawyer before taking on his current position. He was known for being a well-known human rights campaigner. Additionally, he occasionally worked as Carolyn Bennett’s legislative secretary when she was the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
Soraya Martinez Ferrada
Tourism Minister Soraya Martinez Ferrada has been appointed.
Martinez, who was born in 1972, was raised in Chile before moving to Montreal’s East End at the age of eight in 1980.
Before adapting to the role of Minister of Tourism, Ferrada served as Minister in charge of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for Quebec. Also, she served as a councilor for Saint-Michel in the Montreal City Council. She has been the Hochelaga riding’s representative in Quebec since 2019.
Ya’ara Saks
Ya’ara Saks is the newly appointed Associate Minister of Health as well as Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.
Saks is the first member of the Canadian parliament to enjoy dual citizenship; she is a citizen of both Canada and Israel and has lived in both.
Saks had a long career in health and wellness before entering politics. She ran her yoga studio in York Centre, Toronto, and served as the director of Trauma Practice for Healthy Communities, a nonprofit organization that promotes family and community mental health. Since 2020, she has served as the representative for York Centre in Ontario.
Rechie Valdez
The new Minister of Small Businesses is Rechie Valdez.
The first Filipino-Canadian woman to serve in the Canadian parliament, Valdez was born in Zambia in 1980. When Valdez was nine years old, her family first emigrated to Zambia before relocating to Canada.
Before entering politics, Valdez had a career in finance. She then switched to entertainment, where she competed in “The Big Bake” on the Food Network Canada and created her own program for Filipino TV. Since 2020, she has served as the representative for Streetsville in Ontario.
Arif Virani
The new Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada is Arif Virani.
Virani, an Indian-born Ugandan, first arrived in Canada as a refugee in 1972, following the migration of Asians from Uganda. Virani’s family moved to Toronto after initially arriving in impoverished circumstances and staying at the Stanley Street YMCA in Montreal.
Virani worked as the parliamentary secretary to the previous justice and attorney general, as well as the ministers of Canadian heritage and immigration, refugees, and citizenship, before being named minister of justice and attorney general. He has been the representative for the Parkdale—High Park riding in Ontario since 2015.
