Evan Solomon, why again? And I'm not sure why Melanie Joly has gotten a different role; I thought she was amazingly capable in her former one.
posted by Kitteh at 6:28 AM on May 15 [4 favorites]

I have to admit, I mostly watch cabinet shuffles to find out who the new ministers responsible for our portfolio are (no change on one side, on the other side a new minister who used to be the minister on the other side) and where my friends who are political staffers are likely to end up, but I appreciate the very thorough rundown.
posted by jacquilynne at 6:30 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

We know Nate Erskine-Smith through Queen's U channels and he is not happy about being ousted from the cabinet he was chosen to be part of when Carney initially stepped in.
posted by Kitteh at 6:36 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Will this mean that Bill Blair will actually have to do things for his constituency? That means he'll have to edit his auto responder from the "I'm far too busy dealing with $CABINET_STUFF to respond" that it's effectively been for the last couple of terms
posted by scruss at 6:40 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Erskine-Smith was on TVO's The Agenda a while back, and I was impressed. He came across as a solid guy, well on top of his difficult portfolio. I was surprised to see him dropped as well -- it wasn't for any failure to do his job.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:42 AM on May 15 [3 favorites]

They lost me at: “ Altman makes Sam Bankman Fried look like a boy scout.”
posted by furtive at 6:43 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Joly asked to switch portfolios.
posted by furtive at 6:49 AM on May 15 [5 favorites]

Why Evan Solomon for Minister of AI, and not Claude Guay (who won back the Verdun/Lasalle riding from the BQ)? Guay “is recognized for his expertise in areas such as artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and quantum computing. He has worked on the implementation of innovative solutions in various fields throughout the world, including financial services, aerospace, aviation, manufacturing and the public sector” according to his candidate bio on the Liberal site.

I suspect that the failed Phoenix project (an ERP system that IBM delivered and was the cause of many payroll failures and justified complaints) may be worse than a firing from a crown corp? Or lack of chemistry between Guay and Carney, or between Guay and Joly, therefore leading to the selection of Solomon?
posted by seawallrunner at 7:01 AM on May 15 [3 favorites]

being ousted from the cabinet he was chosen to be part of when Carney initially stepped in.
posted by Kitteh at 6:36 AM on May 15

He wasnt chosen when Carney stepped in. He had been Minister since December.
posted by The Notorious SRD at 7:07 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Sometimes in government, you don't want to put the person who has too many inside connections into the job of managing the money.
posted by jacquilynne at 7:10 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

My most optimistic take on Evan Solomon's appointment is that being a grifter oneself is exactly the expertise needed to deal with AI. But I must qualify that this is very willful and perhaps delusional optimism. I would like to have just one nice thing please.
posted by spindle at 7:23 AM on May 15 [9 favorites]

Kitteh: And I'm not sure why Melanie Joly has gotten a different role; I thought she was amazingly capable in her former one.

I can only guess that it's because Carney wants to go hardest on industry and therefore put his currently hardest-going person into that role.

But I've never picked a cabinet, so who knows?
posted by clawsoon at 7:29 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Amazing post, BTW.
posted by clawsoon at 7:30 AM on May 15 [13 favorites]

Yeah Evan Solomon was kind of surprising (I mean what exactly will he be doing?) but I thought Gregor Robinson for housing and infrastructure was the real head scratcher. I know nothing about Erskine-Smith but complaining to the media is not cool - this is how it works in politics and not being a team player is going to get him sidelined.
posted by Ashwagandha at 7:57 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Why Evan Solomon for Minister of AI, and not Claude Guay
From that description, it sounds like Guay might actually understand what LLMs are. Am I being cynical to think that that's undesirable in a minister for AI?
posted by rhamphorhynchus at 7:58 AM on May 15 [4 favorites]

Not only is Solomon the wrong pick for AI, he's the wrong pick to represent Southern Ontario. Actually he's the wrong pick for absolutely anything and never should have been recruited to run in the first place.
posted by sardonyx at 7:59 AM on May 15 [8 favorites]

Yeah everything about him is... questionable.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:02 AM on May 15 [5 favorites]

I suspect the housing portfolio involves a lot of liaising with the levels of government (municipal, provincial/territorial) that are actually responsible for housing, and Robinson has been both an MLA and a mayor.
posted by jacquilynne at 8:02 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Gregor Robinson for housing and infrastructure was the real head scratcher

Who immediately announced that he doesn't think real estate prices need to come down. So this government will clearly be continuing the long-standing Liberal tradition of talking about housing affordability but being unwilling to do anything significant about affordability for fear of upsetting current homeowners.
posted by ssg at 8:05 AM on May 15 [13 favorites]

I went into the election thinking Carney was the best choice out of the lot. And I still feel that way, though I always reserve the right to be disappointed. To that end, I’m worried about them not tabling a budget until fall. I feel like that might be a huge self-own when parliament is sitting again.
posted by eekernohan at 8:05 AM on May 15 [3 favorites]

The Southern Ontario thing really bugs me. AFAIK, he's never really lived outside of the Ottawa/Toronto bubble, and that's not a perspective that is needed for that portfolio.

I'd have to go through the entire Cabinet again, but I don't think there really is anybody from southern Ontario, southwestern Ontario or eastern Ontario. Yes, I know the picking are slim what with the Tory near sweep in parts of the province, but there should be somebody. And no, three people from Brampton don't count.
posted by sardonyx at 8:06 AM on May 15

A core part of any Liberal platform is disappointment.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:06 AM on May 15 [10 favorites]

Also, Manitoba and Rural Development deserve a full cabinet position.
posted by sardonyx at 8:10 AM on May 15

Minister of One Canadian Economy, seven more ministers of Canadian economies.
posted by rodlymight at 8:12 AM on May 15

Who immediately announced that he doesn't think real estate prices need to come down. So this government will clearly be continuing the long-standing Liberal tradition of talking about housing affordability but being unwilling to do anything significant about affordability for fear of upsetting current homeowners.

Yup. You want to alienate a whole new generation of voters who want to own a home like their parents/grandparents did? This is how you do it.
posted by Kitteh at 8:16 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

I would GLADLY have had Marci Ien back god dammit, at least she could make an argument to represent our riding. Parachuting Solomon is a paper bag of dog shit set afire on our doorstep.
posted by seanmpuckett at 8:18 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Joly asked to switch portfolios.

Got tired of lying about Canada’s continued arms exports to Israel?
posted by rodlymight at 8:22 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

And no, three people from Brampton don't count.

Maybe I'm too Nova Scotian to get this, but, why? Is Brampton not part of Toronto?
posted by joannemerriam at 8:25 AM on May 15

Brampton is part of the GTA but it is definitely not part of Toronto.
posted by warriorqueen at 8:26 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

That's the thing, it's GTA. The GTA has its own issues--issues which differ from other places in southern Ontario or southwestern Ontario. For anybody who is living technically outside of the GTA bubble (and I say technically because the reality is that all of southern Ontario lives somewhat at the mercy of the GTA bubble), it's tiring to keep hearing about "Brampton, Brampton, Brampton" all the time. Brampton seems to be the only place that Ottawa or Queen's Park politicians care about. So three Cabinet ministers from Brampton and Evan Solomon representing southern Ontario really feels like a slap in the face and and acknowledgement that none of our concerns matter.
posted by sardonyx at 8:31 AM on May 15 [3 favorites]

It's how Ontarians outside of the GTA get frustrated that Doug Ford devotes so much time to punishing Toronto any way he can instead of doing stuff for all Ontarians.
posted by Kitteh at 8:41 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Or how [insert name of region] always feels ignored... I think this is pretty standard for most Canadians to feel this way about their particular region. I'm from Northern Ontario, I have never experienced a federal or provincial government, in my lifetime as a middle aged person, that effectively addressed issues for the region. Except when they want to exploit a particular resource.
posted by Ashwagandha at 8:47 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

A core part of any Liberal platform is disappointment.

stop. take a deep breath. reflect back on where we were even four months ago with a Pierre Poilievre Conservative majority/mandate pretty much guaranteed.

Things could be worse, way worse.
posted by philip-random at 8:47 AM on May 15 [6 favorites]

Evan Solomon, why again? And I'm not sure why Melanie Joly has gotten a different role; I thought she was amazingly capable in her former one.

Apparently this was at her request. The commentaries I heard on it was that industry is a more "get stuff done" ministry than foreign affairs.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 9:05 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

Things could be worse, way worse.

Another core part of any Liberal platform, perhaps the core plank of recent Liberal platforms.
posted by ssg at 9:11 AM on May 15 [16 favorites]

Things could be worse, way worse.

Sure they could. But politics isn’t a “whew we dodged a bullet there, now we’d better not criticize those in power at all” kind of deal. There are legitimate concerns to be had, and places where things appear to be falling short of where we’d like them to be.
posted by eekernohan at 9:31 AM on May 15 [3 favorites]

So three Cabinet ministers from Brampton and Evan Solomon representing southern Ontario really feels like a slap in the face and and acknowledgement that none of our concerns matter.

Totally agree, just clarifying that Brampton is still not Toronto.
posted by warriorqueen at 9:37 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

I just want to, one day, be lead by a group of people who are neither corrupt evil muppets OR smugly incompetent buffoons. I know it's an unrealistic dream, but still I yearn.
posted by pmv at 9:41 AM on May 15 [2 favorites]

i do get tired of the smugly incompetent buffoons demanding that i feel grateful
posted by pmv at 9:42 AM on May 15 [5 favorites]

Thanks for the explanation re Brampton.

Ontario folks in Cabinet:
Shafqat Ali, Liberal, Brampton—Chinguacousy Park
Anita Anand, Liberal, Oakville East
Gary Anandasangaree, Liberal, Scarborough—Guildwood—Rouge Park
Julie Dabrusin, Liberal, Toronto—Danforth
Chrystia Freeland, Liberal, University—Rosedale
Patty Hajdu, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Superior North
Tim Hodgson, Liberal, Markham—Thornhill
David J. McGuinty, Liberal, Ottawa South
Maninder Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton East
Evan Solomon, Liberal, Toronto Centre
Rechie Valdez, Liberal, Mississauga—Streetsville

Cabinet adjacent:
Ruby Sahota, Liberal, Brampton North—Caledon – secretary crime
Adam van Koeverden, Liberal, Burlington North—Milton West – secretary sport
John Zerucelli, Liberal, Etobicoke North – secretary labour

Obvs Thunder Bay—Superior North is outside the GTA, but none of the rest of those are, right?

So, out of curiosity, who is from Ontario, outside the GTA, did not get a post, and is Liberal? I don't know anything about most of these people but these are the remaining Liberal MPs from Ontario - which of these would you guys have picked?

Sima Acan, Liberal, Oakville West
Fares Al Soud, Liberal, Mississauga Centre
Yvan Baker, Liberal, Etobicoke Centre
Karim Bardeesy, Liberal, Taiaiako'n—Parkdale—High Park
Chris Bittle, Liberal, St. Catharines
Bill Blair, Liberal, Scarborough Southwest
Mark Carney, Liberal, Nepean
Bardish Chagger, Liberal, Waterloo
Shaun Chen, Liberal, Scarborough North
Maggie Chi, Liberal, Don Valley North
Leslie Church, Liberal, Toronto—St. Paul's
Michael Coteau, Liberal, Scarborough—Woburn
John-Paul Danko, Liberal, Hamilton West—Ancaster—Dundas
Julie Dzerowicz, Liberal, Davenport
Ali Ehsassi, Liberal, Willowdale
Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Liberal, Beaches—East York
Bruce Fanjoy, Liberal, Carleton
Peter Fonseca, Liberal, Mississauga East—Cooksville
Mona Fortier, Liberal, Ottawa—Vanier—Gloucester
Peter Fragiskatos, Liberal, London Centre
Iqwinder Gaheer, Liberal, Mississauga—Malton
Vince Gasparro, Liberal, Eglinton—Lawrence
Mark Gerretsen, Liberal, Kingston and the Islands
Karina Gould, Liberal, Burlington
Emma Harrison Hill, Liberal, Peterborough
Lisa Hepfner, Liberal, Hamilton Mountain
Ahmed Hussen, Liberal, York South—Weston—Etobicoke
Helena Jaczek, Liberal, Markham—Stouffville
Arielle Kayabaga, Liberal, London West
Iqra Khalid, Liberal, Mississauga—Erin Mills
Marie-France Lalonde, Liberal, Orléans
Viviane Lapointe, Liberal, Sudbury
Tim Louis, Liberal, Kitchener—Conestoga
Chris Malette, Liberal, Bay of Quinte
James Maloney, Liberal, Etobicoke—Lakeshore
Jennifer McKelvie, Liberal, Ajax
Giovanna Mingarelli, Liberal, Prescott—Russell—Cumberland
Yasir Naqvi, Liberal, Ottawa Centre
Juanita Nathan, Liberal, Pickering—Brooklin
Chi Nguyen, Liberal, Spadina—Harbourfront
Dominique O'Rourke, Liberal, Guelph
Robert Oliphant, Liberal, Don Valley West
Marcus Powlowski, Liberal, Thunder Bay—Rainy River
Aslam Rana, Liberal, Hamilton Centre
Pauline Rochefort, Liberal, Nipissing—Timiskaming
Judy A. Sgro, Liberal, Humber River—Black Creek
Terry Sheehan, Liberal, Sault Ste. Marie—Algoma
Sonia Sidhu, Liberal, Brampton South
Amandeep Sodhi, Liberal, Brampton Centre
Charles Sousa, Liberal, Mississauga—Lakeshore
Jenna Sudds, Liberal, Kanata
Kristina Tesser, Liberal, Milton East—Halton Hills South
Ryan Turnbull, Liberal, Whitby
Anita Vandenbeld, Liberal, Ottawa West—Nepean
Jean Yip, Liberal, Scarborough—Agincourt
Salma Zahid, Liberal, Scarborough Centre—Don Valley East
posted by joannemerriam at 10:27 AM on May 15

Oh I realize Ottawa is not part of Toronto but glossed over McGuinty for some reason.
posted by joannemerriam at 10:30 AM on May 15

I would like to have just one nice thing please.

We do have that, it's the absence of Pierre Poilievre as PM. That's what I voted for, essentially, and what I got.
posted by Jon Mitchell at 10:41 AM on May 15 [7 favorites]

Definitely not Gerretsen. That man's a seatwarmer for my riding and nothing more.
posted by Kitteh at 10:53 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

politics isn’t a “whew we dodged a bullet there, now we’d better not criticize those in power at all” kind of deal

Normally, I would agree wholeheartedly. But when the bullet you dodged is in your chat forums wearing an antifa hat and telling you how evil the non-bullet party is for not being progressive enough and voting for them is a terrible mistake, these criticisms require an elevated level of objectivity that people made angry on purpose find very difficult to achieve.
posted by CynicalKnight at 10:58 AM on May 15 [1 favorite]

Ah, of course. Any criticism of Carney, is clearly 3 Poilievres in a trenchcoat wearing a antifa hat (or maybe two Poilievres and a bullet? I lost track). How did I not see that?
posted by whm at 11:20 AM on May 15

I think we can criticize Carney without shilling for the Cons, at least here on Metafilter.
posted by joannemerriam at 11:48 AM on May 15 [6 favorites]

Inside of you are 2 Poilievres. One is wearing an anarchy shirt and funny coloured hair. The other is Russian or Chinese or some shit. Both want you to kill all these people I've tied to a track for the purposes of my argument.
posted by wanderlost at 11:53 AM on May 15 [7 favorites]

If there's one thing Canadians hate, it's when someone points out we're just like the Americans (especially now). So I'll just point out that saying any criticism of the centrist party is helping the right wing party is pretty much the most stereotypically American political take possible.
posted by ssg at 12:03 PM on May 15 [6 favorites]

Normally, I would agree wholeheartedly. But when the bullet you dodged is in your chat forums wearing an antifa hat and telling you how evil the non-bullet party is for not being progressive enough and voting for them is a terrible mistake, these criticisms require an elevated level of objectivity that people made angry on purpose find very difficult to achieve.

I do sympathize with that fear. But I don’t think discouraging questioning those in power is the answer. I think ensuring the material needs of everyone are met is more likely to get us to where we need to be, and for that we need to hold the people who made promises about that to get elected to their word.

If Carney doesn’t follow through per his declared values (which he’s written an entire book about) being quiet about that will do more to galvanize disaster populist politics than providing reasonable criticism up front.
posted by eekernohan at 1:10 PM on May 15 [4 favorites]

I don't know all of the names, and I don't have time to look them up, but out of that outside of Cabinet list, there are people in southern/southwestern Ontario representing London, Hamilton, Guelph, Kitchener, St. Catharines, etc.--all places outside of the GTA. And look, I'm not saying southern Ontario should be represented in Cabinet, because not every region gets a Cabinet post, but if you're going to name somebody to represent the region, it should be somebody actually from the region, who has lived in the region and understands the issues (and realizes we aren't just Toronto or Mississauga or Brampton--if Evan can even contemplate the existence of places outside of Toronto).
posted by sardonyx at 1:42 PM on May 15 [2 favorites]

which of these would you guys have picked?
...
Mark Carney, Liberal, Nepean

Carney definitely has the chops to be Deputy Prime Minister, though it'd be one more Ottawa area seat in cabinet.
posted by Rumple at 1:44 PM on May 15 [2 favorites]

LOL good catch, my bad on copy-pasting.
posted by joannemerriam at 1:45 PM on May 15 [1 favorite]

I don't recognize the names either. But the present cabinet has too many members from the GTA.
It would be nice to have someone from Sudbury or Timiskaming there.
The economies are resource based. If you 're talking critical minerals, logging it would be nice to have their input. They also face challenges in terms of healthcare infrastructure etc.
Someone from London which is a fairly conservative area. useful for different points of view.
Perhaps Hamilton. You need the blue collar vote
I like Freeland but she's from Harvard, Oxford and Rosedale. Far from blue collar.
posted by yyz at 2:29 PM on May 15 [1 favorite]

joannemerriam, you've been killing it with the small press posts and this one is equally awesome. Thank you!

Criticism of the cabinet is fine, even necessary. I don’t know enough about any of them so I’m going to reserve judgement for a while but I also think that this cabinet was assembled the way it was in part to address some very specific threats. Further, I don’t believe that Carney is a fool or suffers fools gladly; the think that if members of the cabinet aren’t doing their job to his satisfaction that there will be consequences. Related, I fully expect Carney to make changes to his cabinet as the southern situation changes. I think that his is one of the reasons why he has such a small cabinet.

As I said, I don’t know enough about any of them but I do know that I trust Aaron Wherry who has expressed what comes across as doubt about some of the postings along with some positive thoughts about others. I’ve found much of his analysis over the last few years to be invaluable.
posted by ashbury at 5:36 PM on May 15

Oh, and I forgot to mention, joannemerriam, that the effort you put in to this post just with the tags alone is mighty impressive!
posted by ashbury at 5:38 PM on May 15

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