Cabinet Shuffle-what does it mean for you?

July may be winding down, and we may be heading into the dog days of summer, but that didn’t stop the Prime Minister from announcing a major cabinet shuffle on Wednesday July 26th . What does this mean for Canadian charities and non-profits?

A few thoughts:

• This is a major cabinet shuffle—23 out of 38 people are now occupying new positions in Trudeau’s cabinet. Some commentators are interpreting this as a clear pre-election signal, and that is certainly possible.

•  7 ministers, including some fairly powerful ones, have been dropped from cabinet. 7 bright shiny new faces have joined.

• With new ministers, we can anticipate refreshed mandate letters arriving soon as well—keep an eye out for these always useful documents!

• Have any of your lead federal ministers changed? What about MPs local to your community or your programs? This is where you should focus your attention.

•  A shuffle is a good opportunity to re-engage. Reach out to new Ministers to welcome them to their role, introduce your organization, and ask for a meeting.

• A shuffle means that many political staffers will also be moving jobs—pay attention to your key contacts and whether they are going or staying.

I also wanted to take a moment to announce an exciting change here within JN Clarke Consulting! Diana Apostolides, our Senior Associate, who has been with us for almost a year, has accepted the position of Vice-President Operations and Strategy. We are so excited to have someone of Diana’s experience and calibre stepping into this leadership role. With her 10+ years of experience in Canada’s international development sector, she brings wisdom, insights, dedication and enthusiasm to this new role! Welcome aboard!