Bibeau moved during Trudeau cabinet shuffle

Jul 26, 2023

Lawrence MacAulay is back in as minister of agriculture

By Diego Flammini
Staff Writer
Farms.com

A face Canadian farmers recognize is back handling the agriculture portfolio in Ottawa.

Prime Minister Trudeau appointed Lawrence MacAulay, the P.E.I. MP for Cardigan since 1988, to once again be the minister for agriculture and agri-food during a cabinet shuffle on Wednesday.

Lawrence MacAulay

MacAulay participated in a private swearing-in ceremony on Tuesday and remained in P.E.I. following his brother Jim’s passing.

Canadian ag organizations started to post reactions on social media.

“Welcome back,” the Canadian Hatching Egg Producers said on Twitter. “We look forward to working with you in the future!”

The Canadian Federation of Agriculture also welcomed Minister MacAulay back into the agriculture file.

“We look forward to working with Mr. MacAulay to ensure our industry’s sector priorities continue moving forward,” the organization said on Twitter.

The retired farmer previously served as ag minister from November 2015 to March 2019. At that time, a cabinet shuffle saw him move from agriculture to veterans affairs and associate minister of national defence.

Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the MP from Moncton-Riverview-Dieppe, replaces MacAulay in those roles.

With MacAulay returning to the agriculture file, it means now former minister Marie-Claude Bibeau is on the move.

Marie-Claude Bibeau

After four years in agriculture, Bibeau was sworn in as minister of national revenue on Wednesday morning.

As minister of national revenue, Minister Bibeau is responsible for the Canadian Revenue Agency, as well as administering taxation law and collection.

Here is the new cabinet, 30 changes in total #cdnpoli

Anand - Treasury
Bibeau - Revenue
Blair - DND
Boissonnault - Employment & official languages
Duclos - Procurement
Fraser - Housing
Gould - House Leader
Holland - Health
Hussen - International Development
Hutchings - Rural pic.twitter.com/W65VfwaB5u
— Mackenzie Gray (@Gray_Mackenzie) July 26, 2023

In total, Prime Minister Trudeau’s cabinet underwent 30 changes in this cabinet shuffle.

Multiple ministers kept their current portfolio, including Gudie Hutchings.

The Newfoundland and Labrador MP from Long Range Mountains retains her duties as minister of rural economic development, and also becomes the minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA).

Ginette Petitpas Taylor previously oversaw the ACOA, which works to create opportunities for economic growth in the region.

Minister Bibeau takes her oath as minister of national revenue beginning at 29:40 of the video.

Video: Canada's Agriculture Day 2025

Let's celebrate Canadian agriculture.

Well, number one, you don't eat without farmers. Farmers put food on the table. And what could be more important than that?

Well, I think it's important that Canadians understand exactly what takes place, what happens to produce this food, no matter what sector you're talking about.

An awful lot of work goes into that. It's important to understand that meat does not come out of a showcase, and milk does not come out of a bottle. It's produced by farmers and hard work.

Canada has the best farmers in the world. And agriculture is vital to Canada.

In 2024, our agriculture and agri-food sector represented $150 billion of Canada's GDP, nearly $100 billion of our exports, and one in nine jobs.

From grains to fruits to dairy and beef, we are truly blessed with an incredible bounty. Having spent my whole life in agriculture, I see so much potential for the sector.

This time last year, I was proud to open our first-ever agriculture and trade office in the Indo-Pacific, the world’s fastest-growing economy, to cement our presence in the region and grow our exports even more. We've also been making historic investments to help our farmers to boost their yields, protect the planet, and earn a fair living.

The world wants more top-quality, sustainable food, and I know our Canadian farmers can deliver. And it's so important that you do that with pride. We need you.

Quite simply, you eat the most top quality food in the world. You do that because of the quality of farmers and ranchers you have in this country.

Just say thank you to a farmer or a rancher. They work very hard, yes, for a living, but also with a sense of pride in what they produce.

That's what Canada's Agriculture Day is all about.