There will be a federal cabinet shuffle on Monday.

Global News has confirmed the shuffle comes as a result of the decision by Treasury Board President Scott Brison to resign after 22 years as an MP.

READ MORE: Scott Brison resigns from federal Liberal cabinet

No time has yet been set for the shuffle.

However, it will result in at least one change in the federal cabinet with others also possible if other ministers are moved around to accommodate the changing portfolios.

In an interview with the Canadian Press published on Thursday, Brison said he had decided to resign given he will not be running for re-election later this year.

He also said he wants to spend more time with his family and has denied that the decision was in any way related to questions raised over recent months in court about his role in the controversial suspension and charging of Vice-Adm. Mark Norman, the military’s second-in-command who has been charged with leaking cabinet secrets.

Brison is expected to be a star witness when the case goes to trial in August — just weeks before this year’s election campaign officially starts.

“If that issue had never occurred, I would be making the same decision that I’m making now,” he said, refusing to further discuss issues that are now before the court.

Brison has admitted to pressing the newly minted Trudeau government in 2015 to suspend a $700-million plan to build a new supply ship, a move that the RCMP alleges prompted Norman to leak secrets to Quebec’s Davie Shipbuilding so it could pressure the Liberals into restarting the project.

But he’s told the House of Commons that he was simply doing his job as Treasury Board president, the minder of the public purse, to ensure taxpayers were getting good value for the ship contract.

Brison has also denied accusations levelled by Norman’s lawyers and echoed by opposition MPs that he lobbied on behalf of Halifax-based Irving Shipbuilding, which wanted the Liberals to cancel the Davie deal and hire Irving for the supply-ship job instead.

— With files from the Canadian Press.

Source: Read Full Article