Meet the 7 rookie MPs joining Justin Trudeau’s cabinet

Seven rookie MPs have been promoted to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet following a major reshuffling Wednesday.

Four of the new cabinet ministers hail from ridings in Ontario. One is filling a vacancy in British Columbia, and one is from Quebec — and she’s not the pick many predicted.

Some were first elected during the Liberal Party’s historic election win in 2015, while others have served as members of Parliament for less than two years.

Here are the seven rookie members of Trudeau’s cabinet:

Gary Anandasangaree arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

GARY ANANDASANGAREE

Gary Anandasangaree was first elected in 2015 as the MP for the Toronto riding of Scarborough-Rouge Park.

On Wednesday, he was sworn in as minister of Crown-Indigenous relations, a position previously held by Marc Miller.

Anandasangaree had previously served as the parliamentary secretary to the Crown-Indigenous relations minister, as well as to the justice and heritage ministers.

Born in Sri Lanka, he arrived in Canada with his mother in 1983. Anandasangaree holds degrees from Carleton University in Ottawa and Osgoode Hall Law School in Toronto.

He managed a law firm in Scarborough that focused on business, real estate and international human rights law, and has represented the organization Lawyers’ Rights Watch Canada at the United Nations. He’s also been involved with Tamil community organizations.

In March, Anandasangaree made the news for comments he made on Sri Lanka, calling it “a failed and bankrupt state.”

Arif Virani rises during Question Period, Oct. 7, 2022 in Ottawa. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

ARIF VIRANI

Arif Virani was first elected as the MP for Parkdale-High Park in Toronto in 2015. He was named minister of justice and attorney general on Wednesday, replacing David Lametti.

Along with previously serving as parliamentary secretary to the minister of justice, Virani also was parliamentary secretary to the ministers of international trade, democratic institutions, heritage and immigration.

An Ismaili Muslim and Ugandan Asian refugee to Canada in 1972, Virani has a bachelor’s degree in history and political science from McGill University in Montreal and a law degree from the University of Toronto, where he graduated as valedictorian.

During that time, he spent a year working in Ottawa under the Parliamentary Internship Programme.

Virani practised law for 15 years, including as a civil litigator at Fasken Martineau and a constitutional litigator at the Ministry of the Attorney General of Ontario. He is a founding board member of the South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario, in Toronto, which provides legal services to people on low incomes who are of South Asian heritage.

He also worked as an analyst with the Canadian Human Rights Commission, an investigator at the Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse in Montreal, and an assistant trial attorney at the United Nations International Criminal Tribunal prosecuting the Rwandan genocide.

Terry Beech rises during Question Period, in Ottawa, June 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

TERRY BEECH

Terry Beech, who will serve in the new role of minister of citizens’ services, was first elected to Burnaby North-Seymour in British Columbia in 2015.

He is a former parliamentary secretary to the deputy prime minister and minister of finance, the fisheries minister, as well as for the ministers of transport and science. He also served as the parliamentary secretary in B.C. for the minister of economic development and official languages.

In 1999, Beech was elected as a city councillor in Nanaimo, B.C., at the age of 18.

He studied public administration at Capilano University, has a bachelor’s degree in business and economics from Simon Fraser University and a master of business administration from the University of Oxford.

Together with his twin brother, Doug, they founded the non-profit Twinbro Local Leaders, described as an organization helping students access post-secondary scholarships. The brothers also founded a tech company for web and graphic designers called HireTheWorld.com.

In 2004, Beech made Maclean’s Top 30 under 30 list. He was also named to Business in Vancouver’s Top 40 under 40 list in 2013 and was a Young Global Leader at the World Economic Forum.

Perhaps most apt to his current role, in 2018, members of Parliament voted him Parliamentarian of the Year for Civic Outreach.

Soraya Martinez Ferrada speaks during the final day of the Liberal Convention in Ottawa, on May 6, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Spencer Colby

SORAYA MARTINEZ FERRADA

Soraya Martinez Ferrada was first elected in 2019 in the Montreal riding of Hochelaga.

She has now been sworn in as Canada’s new minister of tourism and will be responsible for the Quebec economic development agency.

Ferrada has served as parliamentary secretary to the ministers of housing, transport and immigration.

A political refugee from Chile, Ferrada came to Canada with her family in 1980.

In 2005, she was elected as a city councillor representing Saint-Michel and was appointed to the executive committee as associate adviser for culture.

From 2015 to 2018, Ferrada served as chief of staff and senior adviser to the minister of Canadian heritage.

She holds a master’s degree in management from HEC Montreal and has ties to the performing arts centre TOHU.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poses with Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health Ya’ara Saks during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

YA’ARA SAKS

York Centre MP Ya’ara Saks was named minister of mental health and addictions, taking over for Carolyn Bennett.

The Toronto MP was first elected in a 2020 byelection and has served as parliamentary secretary to the minister of families.

Born in Toronto, Saks is a dual citizen of Canada and Israel.

She has a bachelor’s degree in political science and Middle East studies from McGill, as well as a master of international relations and diplomacy from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Saks previously worked in the Office of the Mayor of Jerusalem and in “advancing people to people programs as part of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.”

She also served as director of the Toronto-based mental health charity Trauma Practice for Health Communities.

Jenna Sudds arrives for a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa on July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

JENNA SUDDS

One of the Liberal’s newest members, Jenna Sudds was first elected as the MP for Kanata-Carleton in Ontario in 2021.

A former parliamentary secretary to the minister for women and gender equality and youth, she now takes over the role of minister of families, children and social development.

Sudds served as an Ottawa city councillor from 2018 to 2021 and held the role of deputy mayor starting in 2020.

Prior to that, she was the executive director of the CIO Strategy Council, now known as the Digital Governance Council, president and executive director of the Kanata North Business Association and a senior economist for the federal government.

Sudds received a 40 under 40 Award from the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce in 2015 and was named to Development Counsellors International’s Top 40 under 40 working in economic development in 2017.

She has a bachelor’s degree in economics from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ont., and a master’s from Carleton.

Minister of Small Business Rechie Valdez takes the oath of office as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau looks on during a cabinet swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall in Ottawa, July 26, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

RECHIE VALDEZ

First elected in 2021 in the riding of Mississauga-Streetsville, Rechie Valdez will serve as the minister of small business.

While she was not a parliamentary secretary before being elevated to cabinet, Valdez was a member of a few parliamentary committees and associations.

Born and raised in Zambia, Valdez immigrated to Canada with her family in 1989 and is the country’s first Filipina MP.

Before entering politics, Valdez was an entrepreneur. She owned a baking business and co-founded a line of Filipino fusion pastries.

She also competed on a season of the competition show “The Big Bake” and has helped raise funds for charities such as SickKids.

Valdez has also worked in corporate banking, has been an advocate for women in business, and is a self-described sports enthusiast.