Federal Cabinet shuffle expected: will Karina Gould get a promotion ?

By Pepper Parr

June 22nd, 2023

BURLINGTON, ON

The House of Commons has recessed until September 18^th when they will resume sitting at 11:00 am.

What did they get done this session – They passed a budget that gives more than it takes at this point.

They continue to serve as the government of the country based on the agreement they have with the New Democrats.

They stumbled badly over the appointment of a former Governor General who had been appointed to look into the matter of the Chinese government investigating members of Parliament and setting up what some called “police” stations in Canada to spy on and harass Chinese nationals.

They took a big one on the chin when no one seemed to know that serial rapist and murderer Paul Bernardo was moved from a maximum security prison to a medium security prison where he will continue serving his life sentence. The families of the two woman he and Karla Hamolka murdered learned of the transfer the day it took place.  Most Canadians expect Bernardo to die in prison.

The backing away from the assault weapons ban, the way the Emergency’s Act was interpreted during the Convoy event that locked the center of Ottawa down for days and how the managing of removing a Judge from the Supreme Court Bench didn’t do much to endear the Liberal Party to the public.

Gould at her Ministry desk on Parliament Hill

Where does Karina Gould, the MP for Burlington sit in all this?

For the past six, maybe seven months she has been a front line fighter;  on her feet almost every time the House in in Session challenging the Conservative party to say what they would do about climate change when they cancel the carbon emission measures in place now.

She gets quite feisty and has certainly grown and matured is as a Cabinet Minister.

Gould doesn’t sit on the front row; her Cabinet levels have been mid-level but significant nevertheless.

There have been consistent reports that there will be a Cabinet shuffle – no mention as to when that will actually happen.

The question for Burlingtonians is – will Gould remain in Cabinet – yes she will – and will she get a promotion?

Gould’s first major media scrum.

She first served is as the Minister of Democratic Institutions where she was thrown under the bus when the Prime Minister backed away from ranked ballots rather than the current first past the post procedure. The Prime Minister took the view that there was a clear view of just what Canadians wanted and so he was backing away from the ranked idea.  And he left Gould to face a media scrum that was tough.

The upside on that matter was how well Gould acquitted herself – she stood up to a battering in a media scrum.  It was clear then that she was a fighter.

She later became the Minister of International Development and again did well. For the youngest woman to be made a Cabinet Minister and the first Cabinet Minister to bear a child while serving in the House of Commons Canadians were watching a women grow is as a Parliamentarian.

When she became Minister of Families, Children and Social Development she had to stick handle the national child care program that was being funded by the federal government but administered by the provinces.

Gould succeeded in getting all the provinces and Territories on-board. Ontario was the hold out – and, while it took time to get an agreement with Ontario in place – she did it.  Gould worked very hard to get the province onside with the daycare funding – many thought it would be in place by now

Close but not quite there yet

The province of Ontario now has to put agreements in place with the Regions – that isn’t going all that well – but that is not a problem Gould has to manage.

So – when the Cabinet shuffle is announced where will Gould stand. It would be stunning if she were dropped.

Where might she end up?  Probably not as a front row Minister>; Finance, Foreign Affairs, Defence are not levels she is ready for yet.

One source we talked to suggested that she would fit in well with a portfolio that interfaced with Ontario and had a social welfare twist to it.

Gould comes across to most people is as comfortable; approachable – just a decent young mother who happens to be a Cabinet Minister.

In the Mandate letter she was given by the Prime Minister he set out the following in what was a three page letter.

We must continue to address the profound systemic inequities and disparities that remain present in the core fabric of our society, including our core institutions. To this effect, it is essential that Canadians in every region of the country see themselves reflected in our Government’s priorities and our work. As Minister, I expect you to include and collaborate with various communities, and actively seek out and incorporate in your work, the diverse views of Canadians. This includes women, Indigenous Peoples, Black and racialized Canadians, newcomers, faith-based communities, persons with disabilities, LGBTQ2 Canadians, and, in both official languages.

As Minister of Families, Children and Social Development, your immediate priority is to build a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system that reduces parent fees, creates more high-quality spaces, recruits and retains skilled educators, and ensures all kids get off to the best possible start. At the same time, you will work with Indigenous partners to implement a culturally appropriate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care system. You will also focus on implementing the Community Services Recovery Fund to help charities and non-profits adapt and modernize as well as ensure Service Canada provides reliable and accessible services to Canadians, regardless of where they live.

To realize these objectives, I ask that you achieve results for Canadians by delivering the following commitments.

• 

  Gould meeting with an organization representative in Ottawa

  

  Gould focused and very direct.

  Supported by the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, continue advancing the creation and sustainability of a Canada-wide Early Learning and Child Care system, including:

  • Concluding negotiations with remaining provinces and territories and implementing agreements:
    • Reducing fees for regulated child care by 50 per cent on average by the end of 2022 everywhere outside of Quebec,
    • Reducing regulated child care fees to $10 a day on average by the end of fiscal year 2025-2026 everywhere outside of Quebec, and
    • Building 250,000 new high-quality child care spaces and hiring 40,000 more early childhood educators by the end of fiscal year 2025-2026;
  • Introducing federal child care legislation to strengthen and protect a high-quality Canada-wide child care system;
  • Establishing a National Advisory Council on Early Learning and Child Care;
  • Continuing to advance work with provinces and territories to reduce fees for families for before and after school care; and
  • Ensuring the Federal Secretariat on Early Learning and Child Care is fully resourced and operational by early 2023.
• 

  A small group of demonstrators walked into a public meeting to let the Minister know where they stood. Gould handled the event very well – she let the demonstrators speak and thanked them.

  Work with Indigenous partners to ensure that Indigenous children have access to a culturally appropriate Indigenous Early Learning and Child Care system that meets the needs of Indigenous families wherever they live, including ensuring more Indigenous families have access to high-quality programming, creating 3,300 new child care spaces, and continuing to support before and after school care for First Nations children on reserve.

• Advance the implementation of the Community Services Recovery Fund to help charities and non-profits adapt and modernize as they recover from the pandemic.
• Continue advancing the Social Innovation and Social Finance strategy, including fully implementing the Social Finance Fund and launching the Social Innovation Advisory Council.
• Through the delivery of Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy and other measures, continue leading implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development adopted by the United Nations.
• Work with the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food and with provinces, territories, municipalities, Indigenous partners and stakeholders to develop a National School Food Policy and to work toward a national school nutritious meal program.
• Work with the Minister of Seniors to provide seniors with a single point of access to a wide range of government services and benefits.
• 

  Gould meeting with people in Spencer Smith Park in Burlington

  As the Minister responsible for Service Canada, lead the development and implementation of modern, resilient, secure and reliable services and benefit delivery systems for Canadians and ensure those services and benefits reach all Canadians regardless of where they live.

• Work with the Minister of National Revenue toward the implementation of a real-time e-payroll system, and ensure that businesses of all sizes benefit from this work.
• 

  Gould in the kitchen of the Burlington Legion – she has a superb relationship with the veterans.

  Enhance the capacity and effectiveness of Black-led and Black-serving organizations through the continued implementation of the Supporting Black Canadian Communities Initiative. You will be supported in this work by the Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion.

• Work with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth to ensure the voices and needs of children are represented in our Government’s agenda, as we work to make Canada the best place to grow up.
• Work with the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth and the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions to ensure mental health supports are accessible to children and youth as they recover from the impact of the pandemic.

Has Gould succeeded? That is a question that will get answered by the Prime Minister and his advisers.  It will be interesting to see what comes out of the expected Cabinet shuffle.