Liberal leadership candidate Chrystia Freeland has pledged to reduce the size of her cabinet to no more than 20 ministers and cut the size of the Prime Minister’s Office by half.
Freeland says her plan will “restore trust and confidence” in the Liberal government and to improve efficiency.
Freeland contends that a reduction in the size of the cabinet by 50 per cent will allow individual ministers to wield more influence and allow them greater flexibility to govern.
“A Cabinet led by Chrystia Freeland will be more focused and more effective–balancing regional diversity and breadth of experience to ensure Ministers are given the space to meaningfully contribute to governing,” reads a press release from Freeland’s campaign.
Freeland promises to revive the use of regional ministers and ministers of state – junior ministers that cooperate with senior cabinet ministers to execute the government’s agenda.
“By ending the overreach of the Prime Minister’s Office, Chrystia Freeland will empower Cabinet Ministers, Members of Parliament, and all Canadians to more meaningfully contribute their ideas to make our country better,” said Freeland.
According to the government of Canada’s employee directory, there are currently 108 people currently employed in the PMO. A 50 per cent reduction would mean that at least 54 PMO staffers would be laid off.
Freeland resigned from Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet late last year after after Trudeau signalled his intention to demote her.
Freeland says she was frustrated that many government decisions were being made in the PMO and disagreed with the economic path Trudeau was taking the country down.
Trudeau’s cabinet, at 40 ministers, is the largest in Canadian history.
The last time the size of a prime minister’s cabinet was 20 members or less was in 1956 under the premiership of Louis St-Laurent.
As cabinets have grown larger over time, critics of the enlarging ministries point out that cabinet ministers are paid more than regular members of Parliament, costing the taxpayers significantly more for their salaries.
While the standard annual wage for a member of Parliament is $203,100, a cabinet minister makes $299,900.
