Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith named Canada’s new Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Beaches-East York MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has been named Canada’s new Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities.
He was officially appointed to the role during a ceremony that began late on the morning of Friday, Dec. 20, by Governor General Mary Simon at Rideau Hall in Ottawa.
Erskine-Smith’s appointment came at the end of tumultuous week for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his Liberal minority government.
On Monday, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland abruptly stepped down from the position on the day she was expected to deliver the Trudeau government’s economic statement to the House of Commons. The move came as a shock to Liberals and renewed calls for Trudeau to step down as leader of the party.
However, Trudeau has not indicated at this moment that he intends to step down, and today’s shuffle of his cabinet was not unexpected as it was already in the works prior to Freeland’s departure.
The appointment of Erskine-Smith, however, may have come as a surprise to some political observers.
First elected in the 2015 federal election to represent Beaches-East York and re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 elections, this will be Erskine-Smith’s first time serving as a federal minister.
Many observers have felt that his frankness and willingness to sometimes be critical of Trudeau had sent him to the back benches of the party for his federal political career. However, Erskine-Smith is not among a group of Liberal MPs who have publicly called for Trudeau to resign.
CBC News said Erskine-Smith had a reputation as a “maverick” within the federal Liberal party, and wondered how his appointment might be taken by some cabinet members who kept any criticisms or opinions of the government they had private.
In 2023, Erskine-Smith sought the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party. He finished second in that race to winner Bonnie Crombie.
In December of 2023, Erskine-Smith also announced that he would not be running again come the next federal election. “It will be time for someone else to step up and serve our community after the next federal election. I’m not sure what the future holds for me beyond that, and I will be looking for new opportunities to make a difference,” he told Beach Metro Community News in a Dec. 7, 2023 story.
Since a number of federal Liberals who will not be running in the next election are no longer members of Trudeau’s cabinet, Erskine-Smith’s appointment today did raise questions about whether he has changed his mind about not seeking re-election in Beaches-East York.
Speaking to reporters in Ottawa this afternoon, Erskine-Smith confirmed that he has changed his position and will indeed be running for re-election as the Liberal candidate in the next federal election.
“It was not an easy decision but I do plan to run in the next election,” he said in response to a question from reporters.
Erskine-Smith takes over the role of Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities from Sean Fraser who had announced on Monday of this week that he would be stepping down from the role since he does not intend to run in the next federal election.
And when that federal election may take place is also up in the air. It has to happen by October of 2025 but could happen much earlier if support for the Liberal minority government is pulled by the NDP.
Just after 11 a.m. this morning, federal NDP leader Jagmeet Singh said on X (formerly Twitter) that he would be bringing forward a non-confidence motion in the government at the next sitting of the House of Commons. MPs are now on their holiday break and are scheduled to return sitting in the House in late January of 2025.
