The Nova Scotia MP who served as Canada's agriculture minister for a short stint this spring is set to receive a fresh appointment from Prime Minister Mark Carney.
While the official announcement has yet to be made, multiple sources say Kody Blois is expected to be named Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister.
Carney informed Liberal MPs of Blois' appointment at their caucus meeting last week. The Hill Times is reporting both Blois and Quebec MP Rachel Bendayan will serve as Carney's parliamentary secretaries.
Blois, the former chair of the House of Commons' agriculture committee, was tapped to replace Lawrence MacAulay as minister of agriculture and agri-food shortly after Carney’s leadership win in early March. While he officially held the title from March 14 to May 13, the government was in caretaker mode for most of his tenure. Blois was in the ag minister role for less than two weeks before the start of the federal election campaign.
His exclusion from Carney’s post-election cabinet last month surprised many in the agriculture sector, with PEI MP Heath MacDonald taking on the role as minister of agriculture and agri-food.
Parliamentary secretaries are not members of cabinet, and it remains to be seen what Carney expects from his parliamentary secretaries, but the appointment will see Blois in close contact with the prime minister and his office.
The responsibilities of a parliamentary secretary typically include assisting their minister with House of Commons duties, liaising with departmental staff, and representing their minister at meetings and public events.
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