Rookie cabinet minister Bardish Chagger appointed government House leader

[Bardish Chagger shakes hands with Gov. Gen. David Johnston after being sworn in as government leader in the House of Commons at Rideau Hall on Friday. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang]

Bardish Chagger has made history as the first woman to become leader of the government in the House of Commons.

Chagger, 36, is the MP for Waterloo, Ont., and was first elected to federal office in 2015. She has been Canada’s minister of small business and tourism.

At a swearing-in ceremony on Friday, Chagger was given the coveted senior spot of House leader and also retained her title as small business minister.

“I will work hard every day,” said Chagger at a news conference following the ceremony. “This is a tremendous opportunity.”

Chagger’s appointment comes ahead of a planned cabinet retreat in Sudbury, Ont., this weekend, where members will plan the government’s approach to the fall parliamentary session.

Liberal MP Dominic LeBlanc previously held both titles of government House leader and fisheries minister. In a release, the government said LeBlanc would remain as minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and that he “will also assume additional responsibilities in the coming days.” No further details were available.

LeBlanc had taken over the fisheries job from Hunter Tootoo, who resigned from cabinet in May to seek treatment for alcoholism. Tootoo has subsequently confirmed reports he was engaged in an “inappropriate” relationship with a junior staffer.

Equal Voice, a national organization that advocates for electing more women to political office in Canada, is “highly encouraged” by the move, said executive director Nancy Peckford.

“House leaders are really crucial to setting a tone within a party and within Parliament, and Ms. Chagger has the energy and the talent to really demonstrate the principles that most parliamentarians want to abide by,” Peckford told Yahoo Canada News.

There needs to be a better gender balance for these kinds of leadership positions in Canadian politics, she said. Canada, for example, has had only one female Speaker of the House of Commons, according to the Library of Parliament.

“I think it’s reflective of the fact that they see that the talent is there, and why wouldn’t you leverage it?” Peckford said.

The role of small business minister is often overshadowed by other cabinet positions, but Chagger has been putting her own stamp on the job. In May, for example, she told a panel in Ottawa that she wanted high school students to be taught financial literacy as part of the standard curriculum, “just like biology and art classes.” She also said she had been travelling around the country “encouraging women to take the leap into business.”

Although she is a rookie MP, Chagger says she has been in the political sphere for much of her life. At the age of 13, she volunteered with then-Liberal MP Andrew Telegdi’s campaign, according to a profile in the Waterloo Region Record.