Steven MacKinnon, the federal Liberals’ new minister for labour and seniors, was officially sworn in during a ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on Friday morning. The event was attended by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Governor General Mary Simon. MacKinnon, the MP for Gatineau, Quebec, previously served as the government House leader and replaces outgoing labour minister Seamus O’Regan, who resigned from the cabinet for family reasons. O’Regan will continue as a Newfoundland MP until the next federal election.
MacKinnon joined the cabinet in January, filling in for government House leader Karina Gould during her maternity leave. According to a news release from the Prime Minister’s Office, he has “accumulated a wealth of experience building consensus and working with partners to pass legislation,” and has made significant progress on healthcare, affordable housing, organized labour, and climate action.
Before his current role, MacKinnon served as the Liberals’ chief whip in the House of Commons and as a parliamentary secretary in the procurement portfolio during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was first elected in 2015 when Trudeau’s Liberals came to power.
The full cabinet is expected to hold a brief virtual meeting on Friday, marking their first gathering since the Liberals’ surprising loss in a Toronto byelection last month.