Hello everyone. Good morning everyone. Thank you for joining us here at Rideau Hall.

We just finished making changes to our cabinet. Before I get into these changes, I want to say a very sincere thank you to my friend and colleague Scott Brison, who’s leaving government to spend more time with his family. Scott has been a pillar of our party and our government for many years now, serving most recently as president of the Treasury Board and Minister of Digital Government. He will be missed and we thank him for his service.

Today, we are continuing to work for the middle class. We are doubling your efforts to ensure the strength and growth of our economy and to ensure that all Canadians and their families have a genuine and equal opportunity to succeed. Since the start of our mandate, Canadians have created more than 800,000 jobs from one end of the country to the other, and the unemployment rate is at its lowest in 40 years. As a government, we intend to support the headway made for Canadians and build on this.

First, Jane Philpott, who has delivered tremendous results for Indigenous peoples across the country, will be replacing Scott as Treasury Board president and Minister of Digital Government. Jane is a natural choice for this role, having previously served as the vice-chair of the Treasury Board.

Seamus O’Regan is our new minister of Indigenous services. Seamus’s compassion and advocacy will help us as we walk the road of reconciliation with our Indigenous partners. A leader in our cabinet, I know he will work tirelessly alongside Minister Bennett to bring about real change for Indigenous communities in this country. Jody Wilson-Raybould becomes our new minister of Veterans Affairs. From modernizing how we appoint judges to bringing in legislation around medical assistance and dying, Jody has demonstrated tremendous skill in navigating very complex files. As a government we owe a sacred duty to the Canadians in uniform who have long served our country with heroism and valour. With her experience and tremendous leadership, Jody will ensure our veterans receive the care and support of a grateful nation.

David Lametti becomes the new attorney general and minister of justice. David has been a key member of our team since the start of our mandate. As parliamentary secretary, he was first responsible for international trade, then innovation, science and economic development. Leaving behind an impressive law and university career in 2015 to serve Canadians, David is known not only for his legal analyses, but also for mentoring young leaders across the country.

And finally, we welcome Bernadette Jordan to the cabinet table as our minister of rural economic development. Since 2015 Bernadette has been a strong voice for South Shore-St. Margaret’s. More recently she served as a trusted parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Democratic Institutions. She will be a great addition to our team. Now, the minister of rural economic development is a new cabinet position, and it’ll play a major role in the lives of rural Canadians and their families. When our team travels across the country visiting communities big and small, we hear all the time that the challenges facing rural and urban Canadians are very, very different. Access to reliable high speed internet, driving distance to the closest childcare centre, pulling together funding for infrastructure projects. These things might not be top-of-mind if you live in a city of a million people, but they can be a daily struggle in a town of 500.

Small towns quite simply do not have the same challenges as large cities. We must therefore adopt different approaches if we want to see results. That is why we have created this position. As a result, Canadians living in rural areas will benefit from the backing and support they deserve. It is always important for our government. While saying good-bye to familiar faces, we welcome new recruits and double our efforts to grow our economy and help middle class families and workers.