Two Ottawa-Gatineau area MPs are in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s newly unveiled federal cabinet, while an MP from Brampton has been named the new head of the Treasury Board.
Ottawa South MP David McGuinty, who previously served as Minister of Public Safety under Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, was sworn in Tuesday as the Minister of Defence. McGuinty has been an MP since 2004 and has also served as chair of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians from 2017 to 2024.
Gatineau MP Steven MacKinnon was sworn in as the new Government House Leader, a role he had previously held under Trudeau. He was also the Minister of Jobs and Families in the brief period between Carney’s swearing in as PM and the swearing-in of the new cabinet. Prior to that, he was Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Labour under Trudeau and has been the Chief Government Whip and the Minister of Labour and Seniors.
Shafqat Ali, the MP for Brampton-Chinguacousy Park (formerly Brampton Centre) was named President of the Treasury Board. The role includes overseeing the federal public service, Ottawa’s largest employer.
Ali was first elected in 2021 and was re-elected with 49 per cent of the vote in 2025. Prior to becoming an MP, Ali was a real estate professional.
Ali assumes the position from Ginette Petitpas Taylor, who is not in Carney’s new cabinet. Anita Anand, who held the role prior to Petitpas Taylor, was sworn in Tuesday as Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) issued a statement moments after Carney’s cabinet was sworn in to call on the government to put public services first.
“This is a pivotal moment for our new government as workers in Canada face a cost-of-living crisis and families grapple with the impact of tariffs on our jobs and economy,” said Sharon DeSousa, PSAC National President, in a news release. “Protecting the public services people rely on has to be at the heart of everything we do, and cabinet has a vital role to play in strengthening our public service and supporting the workers who deliver them.”
PSAC is calling for strong, well-funded public services, fair compensation for workers who continue to be impacted by the Phoenix pay system, modern, inclusive and evidence-based remote work policies, and reforms to the federal bargaining process under the Federal Public Service Labour Relations Act, among other demands.
Ottawa-Vanier-Gloucester MP Mona Fortier, who was President of the Treasury Board from 2021 to 2023, was not appointed to cabinet. Neither was Jenna Sudds, the former Minister of Families, Children, and Social Development under Trudeau.
Former Bell Media broadcaster Evan Solomon has been named the Minister for Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation, and also the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario. Solomon represents the riding of Toronto Centre, having been elected with more than 64 per cent of the vote in his first electoral contest.
