Calgary (Rajeev Sharma): Mark Carney, Canada’s new Prime Minister, has announced his cabinet in anticipation of the coming 2025 federal election, shuffling immigration ministers in the process. Canada’s new minister of immigration is Rachel Bendayan, a Member of Parliament from Outremont, Quebec.
She will serve as the head of Canada’s immigration department, taking over from previous Immigration Minister Marc Miller. Cabinet reshuffles are a common occurrence in Canadian politics and allow Prime Ministers the opportunity to reappoint ministers to different government departments or remove them from office entirely.
This may be done for a variety of reasons, including to award ministers for good performance, to address poor-performing departments, or to better align government policy with public opinion. The last cabinet shuffle occurred in July of 2023, in which immigration ministers switched from Sean Fraser to Marc Miller.
With a transition of administrations, Canada’s immigration policy is now in the hands of a new Prime Minister and Immigration Minister. Canadian ministers (including the Immigration Minister) are given Mandate Letters from the Prime Minister, detailing the objectives that each minister must work to achieve, and the challenges that they will have to address in their role.
The importance of the immigration portfolio is a key issue in Canadian society, with the inflow of newcomers serving crucially to bolster Canada’s labour market and demography. In his time as minister of immigration, Marc Miller often noted the important role that immigration played in Canadian society, allowing Canada to avoid a recession in 2023.
The immigration file is such a key focal point in Canadian politics that former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau led the announcement of the 2025-2027 Immigration Levels Plan himself. The importance of the immigration portfolio is further evidenced by the prominent role many immigration ministers play even after their time heading IRCC.
