As with all Cabinet shuffles, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s decision to replace or add 31 new ministers to his team represents a shift in priorities for the federal government. 

It’ll also mean change for social impact organizations across Canada who work on a multitude of issues: Indigenous rights, poverty, employment training for women, anti-Black racism, disability justice, climate action, and more. 

Sector associations or influential non-profits and charities with government relations departments spend years building relationships with senior officials. Many Cabinet ministers now are in different roles — and those relationships will start anew.

Future of Good looked into some of the most critical Cabinet posts for the social impact sector — and who holds them now:

Harjit Sajjan — Minister of International Development

• Previous experience: Sajjan was moved from his longtime role as Trudeau’s National Defence Minister. He served as a Canadian Forces lieutenant-colonel in Afghanistan and a detective with the Vancouver Police Department before running for office. 

• How it affects the sector: Sajjan will be running Canada’s humanitarian assistance strategy, which could include everything from work on Trudeau’s feminist foreign policy plans to emergency aid work in Afghanistan for women and girls under Taliban rule. 

Carolyn Bennett — Minister of Mental Health and Addictions / Associate Minister of Health

• Previous experience: Originally a family physician and professor of community medicine, Bennett is a veteran of several Cabinet-level positions: Minister of State for Public Health, Minister of Indigenous and Northern Affairs, and, most recently, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations.
• How it affects the sector: Bennett will be spearheading a $4.5 billion national spending package (including some funding for social service organizations) to improve mental health care across Canada, reduce opioid deaths, and improve wait times for treatment — all major focuses of social impact organizations working on mental health and addictions issues. 

Marci Ien — Minister for Women and Gender Equality, and Youth

• Previous experience: A former television reporter and co-host of CTV’s The Social, Ien didn’t launch her political career until 2020. She defeated Green Party Leader Annamie Paul during her race in the last federal election. She’s also worked with after-school mentoring program Trust 15. 
• How it affects the sector: The Liberals’ promises on gender equality during the last election include millions in new funding for abortion access and supporting grassroots youth groups working on sexual and reproductive health. For charities that provide ‘crisis pregnancy counselling’, or other programs to dissuade abortion, Ien will be the face of the Liberal plan to restrict them in favour of pro-choice organizations. 

Sean Fraser — Minister for Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship

• Previous experience: Fraser has served as parliamentary secretary to the Finance, Middle Class Prosperity, and Environment and Climate Change, as well as to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland. Before politics, Fraser was a lawyer, and has volunteered with the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law and provided pro bono legal advice to his local Boys and Girls Club. 
• How it matters to the sector: Fraser will likely work closely with newcomer organizations to fulfil his mandate, particularly around the settlement of Afghan refugees. Social impact organizations will almost certainly play a role in that plan. 

Steven Guilbeault — Minister of Environment and Climate Change

• Previous experience: Guilbeault previously held down the fort as Minister of Canadian Heritage, but his pre-political experience was overwhelmingly focused on climate change. He co-founded Équiterre, Quebec’s largest environment ENGO, in the 1990s and served as a campaign manager for Greenpeace, along with stints as a consultant on the social and green economy. 
• How it matters to the sector: Canada’s ENGOs now have a former activist as a minister at a time when the federal government is facing more pressure than ever to curb fossil fuel emissions, create green jobs, and prove Canada’s seriousness about climate change on the world stage. 

Carla Qualtrough — Minister of Employment, Workforce Development, and Disability Inclusion

• Previous experience: Qualtrough is one of seven ministers who remained in their posts following the Cabinet shuffle. Her background includes extensive work on accessibility, especially in sports, and a term as president of the Canadian Paralympic Committee. 
• How it affects the sector: The Liberals promised during their last election to prioritize workforce development for women, racialized Canadians, and disabled people. Many professionals in Canada’s social impact sector workforce fall into these three groups. As a federal minister, Qualtrough cannot do much for the majority of the sector (which falls under provincial labour laws) but her leadership could set an example for provinces and territories to improve working conditions.  

Patty Hajdu — Minister of Indigenous Services/Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario

• Previous experience: Before her reassignment to Indigenous Affairs, Hajdu served as Minister of Health during the first 19 months of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is a veteran Cabinet minister with experience on the Employment, Workforce Development, Labour, and Status of Women portfolios. She also ran Shelter House Thunder Bay, a non-profit, and co-authored the Thunder Bay Drug Strategy before entering politics.
• How it affects the sector: Having a Cabinet minister on the Indigenous Services file with experience in healthcare, workplace issues, and feminist policy will be critical for organizations looking to tackle some of the systemic issues faced by Indigenous peoples today: inter-generational trauma, systemic racism, high rates of criminalization, disproportionate rates of homelessness. 

Ahmed Hussen — Minister of Housing and Diversity and Inclusion

• Previous experience: Hussen has among the most extensive social impact experience out of any of Trudeau’s Cabinet ministers. Since arriving in Canada from Somalia in 1993, he has worked for the Hamilton-Wentworth social services department, co-founded the Regent Park Community Council, served as National President for the Canadian Somali Council, and — in the last Cabinet — was Trudeau’s Minister for Families, Children, and Social Development. 
• How it affects the sector: For many of the clients who seek out social service organizations — from food banks to community health centres — a lack of housing is their single most pressing issue. Hussen’s background in community services and understanding of housing inequality in Toronto makes him well-suited to address housing and equity issues alongside sector leaders. 

Daniel Vandal — Minister of Northern Affairs/Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada and the Canadian Northern Development Agency

• Previous experience: Vandal has been Minister of Northern Affairs since 2019, developed Winnipeg’s Aboriginal Youth Strategy while serving with its City Council, and was a social worker at Ma Mawi Wi Chi Itata Centre, an Indigenous family resource centre in Winnipeg. 
• How it affects the sector: A Métis Cabinet minister with experience running social service agencies could be a champion for social service organizations in the North, especially Indigeous ones, who often struggle to attract the same funding as their counterparts in southern Canada. 

Karina Gould — Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

• Previous experience: This is Gould’s third Cabinet post, after stints at International Development and Democratic Institutions. Her background is in trade, migration, and international development.
• How it affects the sector: Gould will be the main Cabinet minister handling major initiatives for the sector like the Social Finance Fund and the Community Services Recovery Fund. She also may bring her experience handling the Liberal government’s feminist foreign policy framework and approach to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals to her relationships with Canada’s domestic NGOs.

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