Anita Anand will take over for Pablo Rodriguez
A small cabinet shuffle in Ottawa on Thursday will result in a new federal transport minister.
Current Treasury Board President Anita Anand is set to add the transport minister portfolio to her workload, CTV News and the Star have reported.
Anita Anand
This move comes after former minister of transport Pablo Rodriguez announced his resignation from cabinet and from the federal Liberal Party as he prepares to compete for the leadership of the Quebec Liberal Party.
Rodrguez will sit as an independent MP for Honoré-Mercier, Que.
As the new transport minister, Anand will be responsible for serving the public interest through the promotion of a safe and secure, efficient and environmentally responsible transportation system in Canada, Transport Canada’s website says.
She will have authority over multiple pieces of legislation that could affect ag, like the Canada Shipping Act and the Rail Safety Act.
In November 2020, for example, then Transport Minister Marc Garneau issued a ministerial order under rail safety law to restrict train speeds based on cold temperature conditions, and to improve winter rail operations.
Rodriguez also served as Prime Minister Trudeau’s Quebec lieutenant and was an advisor and spokesperson on issues specific to Quebec.
It’s expected Jean-Yves Duclos, the current minister of public services and procurement, will take that position.