Prime Minister Mark Carney tries to turn the page

Aaron Wherry · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 14, 2025 6:16 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 infinitesimal ago

There were acold less hugs than successful 2015. 

The 23rd premier curate was a hugger — possibly the huggiest successful Canadian history. The 24th prefers a steadfast handshake, with his near manus connected the different person's elbow. Each of Mark Carney's 23 ministers received immoderate mentation of that greeting aft they had sworn their oaths.

Carney is precise seemingly a antithetic benignant of person. In the constricted abstraction of his archetypal time arsenic premier curate — and with an predetermination possibly conscionable much than a week distant — he could astatine slightest effort to awesome change.

"Canada's caller authorities is changing however we enactment truthful we tin present amended results faster to each Canadians," Carney said. "We person caller ministers with caller ideas acceptable to respond to caller threats and to prehend caller opportunities."

There was nary parade down the driveway of Rideau Hall and determination were simply 2 twelve ministers to curse successful — 7 less than Justin Trudeau's archetypal furniture successful 2015 and 15 less than Trudeau's past cabinet. Eighteen Liberal MPs who woke up arsenic ministers connected Friday greeting were not included successful the ministry that Carney recommended to the Governor General.

"Canada's caller authorities volition beryllium action-oriented, driven by a smaller but highly experienced team, made to conscionable the infinitesimal we are in," Carney boasted.

Chrystia Freeland, the quintessential Trudeau Liberal who was lawman premier curate and concern curate earlier she discontinue spectacularly successful December, is backmost successful furniture — but lone arsenic transport minister. Steven Guilbeault, the celebrated environmentalist who became the look of Trudeau's clime agenda, is present the curate for heritage, restyled arsenic "Canadian civilization and identity" (perhaps to convey that specified things are presently successful request of protection).

The determination to a smaller furniture — if Carney sticks with it — could person ramifications for the mode the authorities operates. And if this furniture — or immoderate mentation of it — really gets a accidental to genuinely govern aft the adjacent election, determination volition beryllium much to discuss. But connected Friday determination were mostly surface-level details to debate.

Speaking to reporters, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh noted that the words "women," "youth" and "diversity" bash not look successful the occupation titles of immoderate of Carney's ministers — and the curate of labour is present the curate of "jobs." Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre and Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet questioned why "official languages" are not mentioned either. 

Such changes mightiness accidental thing astir the Carney government's priorities — but that mightiness lone go wide erstwhile the Liberals merchandise an predetermination platform.

It volition besides beryllium noted that Alberta, Saskatchewan and Prince Edward Island are without practice successful cabinet. Such are the challenges of gathering a furniture successful a typical democracy.

Poilievre's larger statement was that Carney's accomplishment changes nothing. The Conservative person has taken to emphasizing that the Liberals are moving for a 4th word — sometimes holding up 4 fingers to accentuate the point. 

"It's the aforesaid Liberal pack with the aforesaid Liberal agenda, the aforesaid Liberal results and the aforesaid Liberal committedness of the past 10 years," Poilievre said successful his effect to the caller cabinet.

With the changeable of a pen, the c taxation is axed

But the astir substantive constituent of disagreement connected Day 1 of the Carney authorities acrophobic the c taxation — one of the defining policies of Canada's 2nd Trudeau era and the people of truthful overmuch Conservative disapproval implicit the past 3 years.

Shortly aft the swearing-in astatine Rideau Hall, Carney convened his ministers wrong the furniture country connected Parliament Hill and signed an bid to region the national substance charge, the argumentation different known arsenic the user c tax. Television cameras were adjacent invited into the gathering to witnesser the signing. 

"We've already taken a large determination arsenic this furniture due to the fact that this is simply a furniture that's focused connected action," Carney said.

With that, the national furniture efficaciously killed the c tax.

WATCH | Carney kills the c tax: 

But speaking soon earlier Carney affixed his signature to the order-in-council, Poilievre argued that it was each a bluff. Holding aloft a transcript of the Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act, Poilievre pointed retired that the tax's enabling authorities was inactive connected the books. As a result, Poilievre suggested, a Carney authorities could simply bring the c taxation backmost aft the adjacent election. 

The enactment volition so proceed to beryllium unless oregon until Parliament repeals it. But the enactment doesn't see conscionable the user c taxation — it besides includes the c pricing strategy for concern emissions. And it's unclear whether immoderate enactment believes the authorities should beryllium repealed successful its entirety. While Poilievre has criticized Carney's stated volition to "improve and tighten" the strategy for industry, Poilievre himself has stopped abbreviated of saying that helium would repeal the concern price.

Carney whitethorn judge helium has turned the leafage connected a divisive issue. And Poilievre whitethorn importune that the spectre of the c taxation inactive hangs implicit Canadians. But what truly remains to beryllium answered is the question of what each person would bash to trim Canada's emissions. 

The caller premier curate whitethorn soon instrumentality to Rideau Hall to motorboat an predetermination run successful which that volition beryllium 1 of galore questions to debate.