Cabinet shuffle brings “seismic shifts” to Indigenous affairs, health – CMAJ
Canada has a new health minister and a new ministry of Indigenous services after a surprising federal cabinet shakeup Monday.
A week after Dr. Jane Philpott decried the health system’s “negligence and systemic discrimination” against Indigenous Canadians, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau tapped her to head a new ministry overseeing services on reserves. Former Indigenous affairs minister Carolyn Bennett remains responsible for treaty rights under the new title of Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs. New Brunswick MP Ginette Petitpas Taylor replaces Philpott as Minister of Health.
Philpott said splitting the Indigenous affairs portfolio enables the government to dismantle old “colonial structures” and build stronger nation-to-nation partnerships with Indigenous people. “These are seismic shifts,” she told reporters after the swearing-in ceremony.
