Justin Trudeau picks ex-Greenpeace campaigner Guilbeault as next Environment Minister

Canadian PM Justin Trudeau on Tuesday, 26 October, unveiled a new cabinet that now puts environmental activist, Steven Guilbeault, in charge of climate policy. According to CBS News, Guilbeault, who has worked with groups such as Greenpeace, will be moved to the crucial portfolio from his previous post as heritage minister. He was named environment minister on Tuesday as the Canadian government strives to cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 40% over the next decade.

In a series of tweets, Guilbeault thanked PM Trudeau for his trust and Jonathan Wilkinson for the incredible work that he has done on this file; I have big shoes to fill. “My priority is to work with Canadians in all parts of the country and all sectors of the economy to get the job done,” he said. “I know there’s a lot of work ahead so I’m getting straight to work to prepare, and to deliver,” Guilbeault added.  
 

Guilbeault’s appointment came just days ahead of the UN climate change conference in Glasgow (COP26), which will draw leaders from around the world to discuss the environmental crisis. The COP 26 UN Climate Change Conference, hosted by the UK in partnership with Italy, will take place from October 31 to November 12, 2021, in the Scottish Event Campus (SEC) in Glasgow, UK. Besides Canadian PM Justin Trudeau, the Summit will have in attendance Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President of the United States Joe Biden, Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison, Israel's Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, France President Emmanuel Macron among others. 

Canada’s newly unveiled cabinet  

Meanwhile, coming back to Canada’s newly unveiled cabinet, other major changes include the departure of Marc Garneau as the nation’s foreign minister. Garneau has reportedly been replaced by Montreal lawmaker Melanie Joly. Harjit Sajjan, who has been serving as national defence minister, is also expected to be among those headed to new jobs. On the other hand, Anita Anand, who was in charge of procuring vaccines in Canada, is being promoted to defence minister. 

CBS News further reported that Canada’s health minister Patty Hajdu, who took on the job just months before the pandemic, will also be moved to a new job. Additionally, two to three current ministers are also expected to be dropped from the cabinet entirely, the media outlet said. It is worth noting that the next cabinet will now officially be sworn in at Rideau Hall in the coming days. Trudeau has also said that the cabinet will have both gender parity and what he called “proper regional distribution”. 

(Image: Twitter/AP)