With Parliament returning Nov. 22, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will soon name a fresh crop of parliamentary secretaries to support 38 ministers. Since 2015, Trudeau has appointed 17 ministers who served first as parliamentary secretaries — including five of the eight new ministers named last month. Cristine de Clercy, a political science professor at Western University, said that parliamentary secretaries are "often overworked and under-recognized." Some parliamentary secretaries are given specific policy files of their own — and the power to pursue them. Findlay said parliamentary secretaries are often called on to make media appearances and mix it up in scrums with other parties' critics.

Source: CBC News November 07, 2021 11:29 UTC