Carney brings Miller back to cabinet as Guilbeault’s replacement

Carney has shuffled his cabinet in the wake of Steven Guilbeault’s resignation from his portfolio, appointing Montreal MP Marc Miller as the new minister of Canadian identity and culture.

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Prime Minister Mark Carney has shuffled his cabinet in the wake of Steven Guilbeault’s resignation from his portfolio, with the prime minister appointing Montreal MP Marc Miller as the new minister of Canadian identity and culture.

The swearing-in took place on Monday at Rideau Hall, with Governor General Mary Simon presiding.

Miller’s return to the cabinet marks a notable reversal for the Carney government. A longtime ally of former prime minister Justin Trudeau, Miller previously held several senior posts—including immigration, Crown-Indigenous relations and Indigenous services—before being removed from cabinet earlier this year when Carney took office.

His reinstatement restores him to a cabinet role that oversees the Liberal government’s Online Streaming Act, which has been dubbed censorious by civil liberties groups.

At a late October meeting of the justice committee, Miller argued that the Bible includes hateful passages that should be prosecuted when deciding how to deal with hate crimes.

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre attacked Miller in response to the news of a Liberal–Bloc deal removing religious exemptions from the government’s Combating Hate Act, Bill C-9.

Guilbeault resigned abruptly last week, stepping down as minister of Canadian identity and culture, minister responsible for official languages, and Carney’s Quebec lieutenant.

He cited disagreements with recent shifts in federal environmental policy — including Ottawa’s decision to suspend the proposed oil and gas emissions cap and cancel Alberta’s obligations under federal clean electricity rules, both introduced while he was environment minister.

Carney also reassigned Public Works and Procurement Minister Joël Lightbound, naming him Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works, and Procurement, and elevating him to Quebec Lieutenant.

Lightbound, first elected in 2015, received his first cabinet role only after April’s election but will now serve as the prime minister’s senior political representative in the province.

Environment and Climate Change Minister Julie Dabrusin’s title has been expanded to include responsibility for nature, reflecting a consolidation of federal conservation files.

The changes follow a week of heightened political pressure over the new federal–Alberta memorandum of understanding on energy projects.

The deal suspends several Trudeau-era climate policies and commits Ottawa to a streamlined approval process for a future Alberta-to-B.C. pipeline — a move that has prompted pushback from B.C. Premier David Eby and has contributed to internal tensions within the Liberal caucus.