Trudeau, Canadian Prime Minister: "Third Cabinet with Gender Parity to Launch Next Month"

Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada [Photo by AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Byunghee Park] Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced that, as in his second term, his third cabinet will also be composed with gender parity.

According to local media on the 28th (local time), Prime Minister Trudeau held his first press conference after winning the general election and said he would launch a new cabinet with equal numbers of men and women next month. He emphasized, "Gender equality is the basic starting point in the cabinet I form."

The Liberal Party, led by Trudeau, won 159 seats in the House of Commons in the early general election held on the 20th but failed to secure a majority, entering the third term as a minority government.

Trudeau came to power in 2015, and in that general election, the Liberal Party he led won a majority with 177 seats. The Canadian House of Commons has a total of 338 seats, and at least 170 seats are required for a majority.

However, in the 2019 general election, the Liberal Party won 157 seats, failing to secure a majority. Trudeau judged that large-scale fiscal spending was necessary for economic recovery after COVID-19 and that a majority was needed for smooth government financial execution. Therefore, he called an early general election two years ahead of the scheduled 2023 election. However, contrary to his intentions, the party only increased its seats by two compared to the 2019 election.

Regarding the formation of the new cabinet, Trudeau said that the appointments would be completed and launched next month, adding, "We are actively working on the specific schedule and the ambitious policy plans of the new government."

However, Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said she would remain in the same role in the new government.

After the general election, Trudeau said he would focus policy priorities on preventing the fourth wave of COVID-19, particularly emphasizing mandatory vaccination for public servants and travelers.

He said he is continuing consultations with labor unions regarding mandatory vaccination for public servants and introduced that "results can be announced within a few weeks." He also warned that travelers using trains or airplanes will be required to have completed COVID-19 vaccination starting in a few weeks.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.