Trudeau to unveil new cabinet Oct. 26, Parliament to return a month later

OTTAWA — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will unveil on Oct. 26 the roster of cabinet ministers who will shepherd his government into a third mandate focused on finishing the fight against COVID-19 and rebuilding the pandemic-ravaged economy.

His ministers will then have about a month to settle into their jobs before Parliament is recalled on Nov. 22 — just over two months after the Sept. 20 election returned Trudeau’s Liberals with a second consecutive minority.

The timing of Parliament’s return, announced Friday by the Prime Minister’s Office, was slammed by the opposition, who accused Trudeau of being uninterested in getting back to work.

In a written statement, Trudeau’s office said the prime minister plans to talk by phone with opposition leaders early next week to discuss Canadians’ priorities and how the House of Commons should resume operations as the fourth wave of the pandemic continues to rage.

Among the first orders of business, the statement said, will be working with opposition leaders to ensure all members of Parliament are fully vaccinated before setting foot in the Commons — an issue on which the Liberals, Bloc Québécois and NDP are in agreement.

But it creates a potential conflict with Conservative Leader Erin OToole, who has refused so far to disclose how many of his MPs have had two shots and who continues to defend the right of individuals to make their own personal health choices.