On at least one ag issue, MacDonald voted with opposition parties.
In March 2023, for example, he was one of three Liberals to vote in favour of Conservative Bill C-234 to provide farmers with additional carbon tax exemptions.
Kody Blois and Robert Morrissey were the other two.
On Bill C-282, to which in its original form would protect supply management in all future trade deals, MacDonald voted in support.
Prior to entering politics, MacDonald worked as a tourism operator and was the executive director of Quality Tourism Services.
He entered provincial politics in 2015 as the MLA for Cornwall-Meadowbank, becoming the minister of economic development and tourism. Three years later he was appointed as minister of finance.
In addition to the full suite of ministers, Prime Minister Carney also appointed 10 secretaries of state.
These titles are for junior ministers who sit outside the cabinet.
Buckley Belanger, the MP for Desnethé—Missinippi—Churchill River in Saskatchewan, will be the secretary of state for rural development.
Belanger represented the Saskatchewan NDP as the MLA for Athabasca from 1995 to 2021 before joining the federal Liberal party.
The prime minister’s full cabinet is as follows:
- Shafqat Ali, President of the Treasury Board
- Rebecca Alty, Minister of Crown-Indigenous relations
- Anita Anand, Minister of Foreign Affairs
- Gary Anandasangaree, Minister of Public Safety
- François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Finance and National Revenue
- Rebecca Chartrand, Minister of Northern and Arctic Affairs; and Minister responsible for the Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency
- Julie Dabrusin, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Sean Fraser, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada; and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
- Chrystia Freeland, Minister of Transport and Internal Trade
- Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture; and Minister responsible for Official Languages
- Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services
- Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families; and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario
- Tim Hodgson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Industry; and Minister responsible for Canada Economic Development for Quebec Regions
- Dominic LeBlanc, President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada; and Minister responsible for Canada-U.S. Trade, Intergovernmental Affairs and One Canadian Economy
- Joël Lightbound, Minister of Government Transformation, Public Works and Procurement
- Heath MacDonald, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
- Steven MacKinnon, Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
- David J. McGuinty, Minister of National Defence
- Jill McKnight, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
- Lena Metlege Diab, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
- Marjorie Michel, Minister of Health
- Eleanor Olszewski, Minister of Emergency Management and Community Resilience; and Minister responsible for Prairies Economic Development Canada
- Gregor Robertson, Minister of Housing and Infrastructure; and Minister responsible for Pacific Economic Development Canada
- Maninder Sidhu, Minister of International Trade
- Evan Solomon, Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation; and Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
- Joanne Thompson, Minister of Fisheries
- Rechie Valdez, Minister of Women and Gender Equality; and secretary of state (small business and tourism)
Secretaries of State:
- Buckley Belanger, secretary of state (rural development)
- Stephen Fuhr, secretary of state (defence procurement)
- Anna Gainey, secretary of state (children and youth)
- Wayne Long, secretary of state (Canada Revenue Agency and financial institutions)
- Stephanie McLean, secretary of state (seniors)
- Nathalie Provost, secretary of state (nature)
- Ruby Sahota, secretary of state (combatting crime)
- Randeep Sarai, secretary of state (international development)
- Adam van Koeverden, secretary of state (sport)
- John Zerucelli, secretary of state (labour)