Canada has a new federal transportation minister in the latest cabinet shuffle by governing Liberals, who are reportedly preparing for a potential spring election call.

Omar Alghabra — currently parliamentary secretary to the prime minister (public service renewal) and to the deputy prime minister and minister of intergovernmental affairs – is the new transport minister.

He is the MP for Mississauga Centre, a riding that includes one of Canada’s largest trucking hubs.

With training in engineering and business, Alghabra recognizes that continued investments in transportation and public transit are key to improving quality of life, the PMO said in a related announcement.

Former astronaut Marc Garneau, who has led the government’s transportation file since 2015, is the new minister of foreign affairs.

During Garneau’s tenure, Canada announced plans to mandate electronic logging devices (ELDs) for federally regulated carriers as of June 2021, and introduce national standards for mandatory entry-level training (MELT).