Ms. Tassi, who had recently asked for a reduction in her workload to care for a sick person in her family, will in return inherit Ms. Jaczek’s responsibilities at the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario ( FedDev Ontario).
Member of Parliament for Markham–Stouffville, Helena Jaczek was sworn in this morning after a short ceremony at Rideau Hall in the presence of the Governor General of Canada, Mary Simons, and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Former Minister of Health (2018) under the government of Kathleen Wynne, Helena Jaczek entered the House of Commons in 2019 by winning the riding of Markham-Stouffville, where former Liberal MP Jane Philpott was running as independent after his expulsion from Cabinet with Jody Wilson-Raybould in connection with the SNC Lavalin affair.
The mini-shuffle comes a week before a Liberal Cabinet retreat in Vancouver and a month before the House of Commons resumes.
Early last year, my husband suffered two strokes, Minister Filomena Tassi explained. As anyone whose family has gone through a similar experience knows, stroke care can be complex and filled with uncertainty. That’s why I met with the Prime Minister last month to discuss balancing the needs of my family with the travels I have to make as Minister of Public Services and Procurement.
« I want to thank the Prime Minister for approaching my situation as a challenge to be met and solved, rather than a choice to be made between family and public service. »
Filomena Tassi has been busy in the Trudeau government in recent months. It is in particular his ministry which was responsible for the purchase of millions of booster doses of the various vaccines against COVID-19.
She has also worked to modernize government procurement processes, promote green procurement and increase diversity in government contracts, says Justin Trudeau’s cabinet.
First elected in 2015 under the Liberal banner in the riding of Hamilton West–Ancaster–Dundas, Filomena Tassi was promoted to Cabinet as Minister of Seniors and then Minister of Labour. Following the 2021 election, Justin Trudeau appointed her Minister of Public Services and Procurement.