The Canadian Press
OTTAWA: A former top Canadian soldier and a former top Toronto cop are among the star Liberal MPs shut out of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s maiden cabinet.
Retired Lt.-Gen. Andrew Leslie and ex-Toronto police chief Bill Blair were two of the many star candidates recruited by the Liberals expected by some observers to take key cabinet posts as a result.
But they, alongside longtime Liberal stalwarts like Joyce Murray and Hedy Fry, were left out of the 31-member ministry that saw other veteran MPs rise to new heights.
Those included former Liberal leader Stephane Dion, who takes over Foreign Affairs, and John McCallum who takes over the immigration portfolio, as well as the marquee promise to resettle Syrian refugees.
At the same time, relative political rookies also find themselves in some of the top cabinet posts.
Retired Lt-Col. Harjit Sajjan, a Vancouver MP, was named as defence minister, while Amarjeet Sohi, a former city councillor from Edmonton, will be in charge of the Liberals’ ambitious infrastructure plan.
© 2015 The Canadian Press
