Now that Prime Minister Mark Carney has unveiled his new cabinet, groups representing labour, the Indigenous, disabled Canadians, and the Canadian Medical Association are weighing in.
Carney announced a cabinet of 27 ministers and ten Secretaries of State.
"Canada's new ministry is built to deliver the change Canadians want and deserve," said Carney. "Everyone is expected and empowered to show leadership, to bring new ideas, a clear focus, and decisive action to their work."
The Canadian Medical Association congratulated the new Health Minister, Marjorie Michel, and said it's eager to work with her to improve access to care.
During the election, the Liberals promised reform, including adding thousands of new doctors, improving access to team-based care with substantive investment, removing barriers so doctors can practice where they are needed, and fast-tracking American doctors and other healthcare professionals who wish to immigrate to Canada.
"The hard work to shift promises to tangible solutions begins now," said CMA President Doctor Joss Reimer. "Canadians are counting on the new government to protect, reform, and deliver high-quality and accessible healthcare.
The Liberals also promised to support Indigenous-led processes for self-determination in health.
Carney appointed two ministers who will work directly with the Indigenous, Minister of Crown-Indigenous Affairs Rebecca Atty and Mandy Gull-Masty, the new Minister of Indigenous Services.
The Congress of Aboriginal Peoples represents the rights and interests of the nation's Metis, Status and Non-Status Indians, and Southern Inuit people living off-reserve.
It calls Canada's renewed leadership a "critical opportunity for inclusive steps toward equity and reconciliation.
"While our communities are vibrant and resilient, they remain consistently excluded from national decision-making processes affecting their future," said National Chief Brendan Moore. " We are calling on the new Cabinet to take meaningful steps to include off-reserve Indigenous peoples in all aspects of government policy, planning, and investment."
The congress said it is committed to partnership with the federal government to "build a Canada where no Indigenous person is left behind."
"The time for recognition without action has passed," added Moore. "The time for full inclusion is now."
Those with disabilities represent 27 per cent of Canada's population, according to groups that represent the disabled.
The Canadian Association of the Deaf, Daily Bread Food Bank, Indigenous Disability Canada/B.C. Aboriginal Network on Disability Society, and the Canadian National Institute for the Blind expressed disappointment that there was no minister or secretary of state appointed to take responsibility for disability inclusion. It calls the decision "incredibly puzzling and disappointing."
"A dedicated cabinet voice, especially someone with lived experience, was much more than a signal," said the group. "It represented a meaningful commitment to dismantling barriers, promoting inclusive policymaking, and ensuring people with disabilities play a central role in shaping decisions that impact their lives," they said. "The absence of such leadership for one in five Canadians is not just disappointing, but, in our view, a step backwards from the progress that has been achieved."
The groups urge Carney to correct the oversight and appoint a minister or secretary of state in the future.
Bea Bruske, the President of the Canadian Labour Congress, urges the new cabinet to act boldly to address the rising cost of living, the housing crisis, public healthcare, and job insecurity "in the face of global economic instability fueled by [U.S. President Donald] Trump's tariffs. At the same time, we are seeing cracks in systems meant to protect workers."
"The time for hesitation is over," said Bruske. "Workers are counting on this government to deliver real investments in people, in public services, and in good union jobs that sustain families and communities."
"Canada's unions will be holding the new Minister for Jobs and Families, Patty Hadju, accountable to the core priorities of Canada's workers and the labour movement," added Bruske. "Workers expect the minister to take concrete action to raise wages, respect free and fair collective bargaining, improve workplace safety, and strengthen rights and protections for workers, no matter how or where they work."
She pointed to reforms like banning replacement workers and updating the Employment Insurance system.
"Now is the time for this government to show workers that their voices will not be ignored," Bruske said. "Canadians are not asking for the impossible. They are demanding what is fair, just, and long overdue."
Carney's cabinet includes a mix of new and veteran ministers. Anita Anand will take over foreign affairs. François-Philippe Champagne is the new Finance Minister. Sean Fraser was appointed Justice Minister and Attorney General. Crystia Freeland is the new Transport Minister and International Trade Minister. Former broadcaster Evan Solomon was appointed Minister of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Innovation.