Marc Miller appointed Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture after Guilbeault resignation

Prime Minister Mark Carney has appointed Montreal MP Marc Miller as the new Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, filling the gap left after Steven Guilbeault’s sudden resignation from cabinet last week.

Guilbeault stepped down after the federal government struck a deal with Alberta that advances a new pipeline to the BC coast.

Miller, a Trudeau-era minister who initially did not have a role in Carney’s government, also takes on the official languages file as he steps into a position facing pressure at home, and from the U.S.

Miller is taking on this role which is a reimagining of former PM Trudeau’s Heritage Ministry, while the United States tries to dismantle the online streaming act and the online news act, two cornerstones of Canada’s effort to make tech giants support Canadian content and journalism.

On his way into a cabinet meeting this morning Miller addressed reporters, not about Canada’s content laws but about the pipeline project jumpstarted last week.

He said the government needs to “sit down and start working now,” on consultation with indigenous communities and stakeholders.