Trudeau appoints Joyce Murray as Treasury Board president

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has appointed Joyce Murray as Treasury Board president, filling the vacancy left by the abrupt resignation of Jane Philpott.

Murray, a Vancouver MP, is a former provincial cabinet minister and has been parliamentary secretary to the Treasury Board president for several years. Her entry into cabinet maintains gender balance.

Murray, who also becomes minister of Digital Government, is one of 34 Liberal MPs who survived the party’s rout in the 2011 election.

Philpott quit cabinet at the beginning of the month, citing a loss of confidence in how the government has responded to the SNC-Lavalin affair, where the former attorney general and justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould alleges she was inappropriately pressured to help the Quebec company secure a special legal agreement over charges of bribery and fraud.

This is the third cabinet shuffle in three months for the prime minister, after a domino effect of resignations starting with former Treasury Board president Scott Brison, then Wilson-Raybould from her new posting at Veterans Affairs, then Philpott. Brison has retired from federal politics, and the two women have expressed their intention to stay in the Liberal caucus despite leaving Trudeau’s top team.

Speaking to reporters after her swearing-in ceremony, Murray said it’s “great” Wilson-Raybould and Philpott are remaining in caucus.

“They’re part of our team, and I hope that will continue to be the case.”

Murray, who was opposed to the government’s decision to buy the Trans Mountain pipeline expansion project, said Monday it’s her job to represent the views of her constituents, and it’s the cabinet and prime minister’s job to consider the best national interests of the project.

“I will never accept that the pipeline is negative for climate change, because in fact it brought Alberta into the pan-Canadian framework, taking significant action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions so that we can meet our objectives as a country,” she said.

Murray said the two key areas of concern — marine environment protection and consultation with Indigenous groups —are now being addressed.

Trudeau did not answer questions from reporters at Rideau Hall. He welcomed Murray to cabinet on Twitter, calling her a “trusted voice for her community” and noting she has spent 25 years as a successful businesswoman and environmental advocate.

On March 4, the day after Philpott resigned, Murray issued an open letter to her constituents expressing “absolute confidence” in the integrity of the prime minister. She praised the work the Liberal caucus is doing on issues like climate action, poverty alleviation, housing affordability and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples, among others.

She said that under Trudeau’s leadership, Liberal MPs have had “wide latitude” to express and to vote their views, even when they are not aligned with the government’s perspective.