Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named a new foreign minister on Tuesday and shuffled other top players in his Cabinet ahead of an election that insiders in his Liberal Party say is likely this year.
Trudeau’s hand was forced when Innovations Minister Navdeep Bains, 43, unexpectedly announced he was resigning from politics for family reasons. Bains, who has two school-age daughters and had been in the job since November 2015, was a senior minister in the populous province of Ontario, a Liberal stronghold.
Canadian prime ministers traditionally shuffle their team if a Cabinet member says they will not run in the next election.
Francois-Philippe Champagne, 50, will leave the foreign ministry to take over for Bains. Marc Garneau, 71, moved from transport to become Canada’s fourth foreign minister in just over four years.
Garneau’s main tasks will be establishing relations with the new U.S. administration and handling a major diplomatic dispute with China.
One of Champagne’s…
