MP Fragiskatos Appointed Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
September 16, 2023
The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today announced a new team of parliamentary secretaries.
Bringing a wealth of experience, skills, and perspectives to their roles, these parliamentary secretaries will act as an important link between ministers and Parliament to make progress on some of the most important issues facing Canada and Canadians today. This includes putting more money back in the pockets of families, building more homes and driving down the cost of housing, creating good middle-class jobs, strengthening health care, fighting climate change, and building an economy that works for everyone.
With both new and returning members, the parliamentary secretary team now includes:
Jenica Atwin as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Indigenous Services
Vance Badawey as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Jaime Battiste as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
Rachel Bendayan as Parliamentary Secretary to the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance
Chris Bittle as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Élisabeth Brière as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Families, Children and Social Development
Paul Chiang as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship
Julie Dabrusin as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources
Pam Damoff as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs (Consular Affairs)
Francis Drouin as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food
Terry Duguid as Parliamentary Secretary to the Prime Minister and Special Advisor for Water
Greg Fergus as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the Treasury Board and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Health
Darren Fisher as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Mental Health and Addictions and Associate Minister of Health
Peter Fragiskatos as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities
Lisa Hepfner as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
Yvonne Jones as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Northern Affairs and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence (Northern Defence)
Mike Kelloway as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard
Iqra Khalid as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Revenue
Annie Koutrakis as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Tourism and Minister responsible for the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec
Irek Kusmierczyk as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages
Marie-France Lalonde as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of National Defence
Kevin Lamoureux as Parliamentary Secretary to the Leader of the Government in the House of Commons
Stéphane Lauzon as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Citizens’ Services
James Maloney as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Bryan May as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Small Business and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Southern Ontario
Taleeb Noormohamed as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage
Jennifer O’Connell as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs (Cybersecurity)
Rob Oliphant as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs
Sherry Romanado as Parliamentary Secretary to the President of the King’s Privy Council for Canada and Minister of Emergency Preparedness
Darrell Samson as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Randeep Sarai as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence
Marc G. Serré as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Energy and Natural Resources and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Official Languages
Terry Sheehan as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Labour and Seniors
Maninder Sidhu as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Export Promotion, International Trade and Economic Development
Charles Sousa as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Services and Procurement
Ryan Turnbull as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
Anita Vandenbeld as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development
Adam van Koeverden as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Sport and Physical Activity
Sameer Zuberi as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Quote
“This summer, we heard from Canadians about the issues that matter most to them. From putting more money back in the pockets of families, to building more homes, faster, and helping stabilize grocery prices, we are taking real and serious action. As the House returns this Monday, I know this team is ready to work hard to continue delivering real progress for Canadians.”
Quick Facts
Parliamentary secretaries are chosen by the Prime Minister to assist ministers.
The responsibilities of parliamentary secretaries generally fall into two broad categories: House of Commons business and department-related duties.
Parliamentary secretaries are not members of Cabinet and do not play a formal role in the Cabinet decision-making process. They support their ministers, but overall responsibility and accountability remains with the minister.
In 2016, the government released the Guide for Parliamentary Secretaries, designed to help members of this team succeed and provide them with key information about their role within Canada’s system of responsible parliamentary government.
