OTTAWA — Prime Minister Mark Carney will name a new minister of culture and identity this afternoon.
Steven Guilbeault, the previous culture minister, quit cabinet on Thursday following Ottawa’s new pact with Alberta on a proposed pipeline. Guilbeault previously served as environment minister in Justin Trudeau’s government.
The Prime Minister’s Office says there will be a swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall at 3 p.m. ET. It will be the first public event for Gov. Gen. Mary Simon since she was hospitalized with a respiratory illness last month.
Guilbeault was also heritage minister from 2019 to 2021. Under the Trudeau government, much of the heritage portfolio was focused on taking on U.S. tech giants, with legislation to require them to make financial contributions toward Canadian content and news.
As part of that effort, Guilbeault first introduced the Online Streaming Act, which became law under his successor, along with the Online News Act.
Guilbeault was brought back to the ministry, now called Canadian identity and culture, after this spring’s federal election. But the post has had a less clear mandate, as Carney’s government moved away from tech regulation.
There is a new minister taking on the artificial intelligence portfolio, leaving questions around the divisions of powers when it comes to issues like copyright and AI. The AI minister and justice minister are also both expected to introduce new bills dealing in part with online harms, with the culture minister also expected to play a role in tackling the issue.
At the same time, Carney’s government is facing pressure from the U.S. to eliminate the Online Streaming Act and Online News Act.
Guilbeault was also the minister responsible for official languages, and Parks Canada, as well as the government’s Quebec lieutenant.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 1, 2025.
Anja Karadeglija, The Canadian Press
