So, cabinet shuffle, and while everyone keeps saying this is somehow Trump-focused, I’m not sure what labour, status of women, or democratic institutions has to do with Trump. There will be all manner of hot takes, and yes, you’ll get mine too. It was striking in that just barely over a year into the new government, two of the most senior hands have not only been bounced from cabinet, but from parliament as a whole – John McCallum headed to China as our new ambassador, and Stéphane Dion to parts unknown in what is likely to be a diplomatic posting of some variety, but what we’re not quite sure just yet. In a government that has very few experienced hands, this is something that does give me some pause. MaryAnn Mihychuk’s ouster, however, was not a great surprise given the stuff that came out when she had a number of duties taken away from her portfolio, particularly around her attitude and her ambition to be a regional political minister in a cabinet that has largely eschewed them. Chrystia Freeland to foreign affairs is not a surprise (making her the first Liberal woman foreign affairs minister in the country’s history – previous ones had been Conservatives), Patty Hajdu to labour seems a natural next step for the job she has been doing, and François-Philippe Champagne to trade is ambitious but he proved himself as Bill Morneau’s parliamentary secretary over the past year. Another first in Cabinet is Ahmed Hussen to immigration, who is Somali-born (and while some have said he’s the first Black cabinet minister, that would actually be Lincoln Alexander).

Statement from Stephane Dion on his time in politics. #cdnpoli pic.twitter.com/D8c8uJ0SV1

— amy minsky (@amyminsky) January 10, 2017

And then there’s Maryam Monsef. She’s off to Status of Women, which people keep insisting is a demotion, but I have a hard time accepting that notion. She carried a file that is the equivalent of a flaming bag of excrement and smiled all the way through. Sure, she’s no longer the person to finish trying to smother that file as elegantly as possible (so good luck with that, Karina Gould), but a demotion would have been getting the Mihychuk treatment. Status of Women is not a demotion. People went on TV scratching their heads about what challenges are in that department, apparently having not paid attention to the big files in that department, including sorting pay equity, ensuring that all government departments actually implement gender-based analysis, and that tiny little file about the plan to combat gender-based violence. You know, no challenges at all. Plus, she’s gone from a make-work portfolio that didn’t have an actual department – just a handful of PCO staffers to support her – to an actual line-department. It’s not a demotion. And did I mention good luck to Gould because yeah, now she gets to try to stick handle trying to find a way to kill the electoral reform election promise as gracefully as possible (despite Kady O’Malley’s belief that the PM thinks that all hope is not yet lost). Because seriously – this is a file that needs to be put out of its misery before it can cause actual damage to our democratic system.

Meanwhile, if you want hot takes on the cabinet shuffle, there are plenty here from Michael Den Tandt on Freeland, Andrew Potter on Dion, Susan Delacourt susses out the dynamics, while Paul Wells adds both some global perspective and insight into what it says about Trudeau.

Good reads:

• Justin Trudeau shrugged off the threat of the Ethics Commissioner regarding his vacation with the Aga Khan.
• Here’s a look at Chrystia Freeland and her Russia perspective in her new role.
• As part of a lawsuit settlement, the government has set aside a Conservative order excluding a Chinese company from an acquisition with a promise to review the file.
• Now that the visa restrictions on Mexicans has been lifted, there has been a rise in new asylum claims.
• The PBO says that infrastructure spending may be lagging, but the minister’s office notes it’s also because they reimburse projects when expense claims are filed.
• Canada will send up to 10 police officers to Colombia for peacekeeping operations.
• Here’s a profile of leadership candidate Andrew Scheer.
• Deepak Obhrai outlined his immigration policy, while also-ran Rick Peterson pitched a nine percent GST to slay the deficit and boost border security.
• My Loonie Politics column this week cautions against MPs looking to interfere with their riding associations, and why it’s a bigger problem than you may think.

Odds and ends:

Here’s a look at some of the behind-the-scenes drama (and possible bad blood) between the Arctic Research Foundation and Parks Canada over HMS Terror.

Important note:

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