New PM Carney names Brampton MP as Canada’s Health Minister

Member of Parliament for Brampton-West Kamal Khera has a new gig in newly-sworn-in Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet heading up the Ministry of Health.

Carney was officially sworn in as prime minister on Friday following his win in the Liberal leadership race and made a few changes to the previous ministry appointments made under his predecessor, Justin Trudeau.

The new cabinet includes 20 Trudeau-era ministers along with three new faces from the Liberal caucus.

Khera, who was previously the federal minister of diversity, inclusion and persons with disabilities, has been named Minister of Health, while Mississauga-Streetsville MP Rechie Valdez was named Chief Government Whip.

The new cabinet has no replacement for Khera’s old position diversity, inclusion and disabilities minister; a minister of women, gender equality and youth; or a minister of mental health and addictions.

There are 13 men and 11 women in cabinet with Bill Blair satying on as defence minister.

François-Philippe Champagne has been named finance minister, while Okaville MP Anita Anand took over his former portfolio as minister of innovation, science and industry.

Dominic LeBlanc was named minister of international trade and intergovernmental affairs and president of the King’s Privy Council.

Mélanie Joly — who was set to be sworn in later in the day after wrapping up the G7 foreign ministers’ meeting in Quebec — will stay on as minister of foreign affairs and take on international development.

Carney pledged during the Liberal leadership race to end the consumer carbon price — which has become deeply unpopular — while maintaining the industrial price paid by big polluters.

– With files from The Canadian Press