Mishall RehmanIn a six-minister cabinet shakeup announced by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau today, Kent Hehr has been removed as Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.
He will be replaced by Member of Parliament for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl, Seamus O’Regan.
The move comes after MP Judy Foote resigned last week as minister of public services and procurement. Trudeau was forced to look for a replacement and chose Carla Qualtrough, who previously held the position of sport and persons with disabilities, to replace Foote.
Hehr was chosen to replace Qualtrough as minister of sport and persons with disabilities.
Hehr’s replacement, O’Regan, is a relative rookie who stepped into the House of Commons in 2015.
Prior to his run in politics, O’Regan was the co-host of CTV’s Canada AM for ten years. He also served in the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador as Executive Assistant to the Minister of Justice, and, later, Senior Policy Advisor to the Premier.
As part of the cabinet shakeup, Trudeau announced that indigenous and northern affairs will be split into two departments and overseen by two ministers. Carolyn Bennett, currently minister of indigenous and northern Affairs, was appointed as the minister of crown-indigenous relations and northern affairs, while Jane Philpott, currently minister of health, became minister of indigenous services.
