Peter MacKay has replaced the embattled Gordon O'Connor as defence minister, one of the biggest changes announced in a major federal cabinet shuffle on Tuesday.

Peter MacKay is sworn in as the new defence minister as Prime Minister Stephen Harper looks in Ottawa Tuesday.
(Fred Chartrand/Canadian Press)

MacKay, who had served as foreign affairs minister, was sworn in along with nine other new cabinet ministers at a ceremony at Rideau Hall.

Opposition leaders were quick to attack the changes Tuesday, but Prime Minister Stephen Harper stood by his decisions. He said he wanted to give his ministers new experiences and provide his government with the chance to grow.

"These are talented people, as individuals and as a group. They know where they stand, they know where they're going and they work hard," Harper said.

The other ministers involved in the shuffle are:

• Maxime Bernier, moving to foreign affairs from industry
• Jim Prentice, moving to industry from Indian affairs
• Chuck Strahl, moving to Indian affairs from agriculture
• Gerry Ritz, moving to the agriculture portfolio from his role as secretary of state, small business and tourism
• Diane Ablonczy, new to cabinet, joins as secretary of state, small business and tourism
• Josée Verner, moving to heritage from international co-operation
• Bev Oda, moving to international co-operation from heritage

O'Connor will take over as minister of national revenue, replacing Carol Skelton. She had already announced that she would not be running in the next election and has been dropped from cabinet.

O'Connor under fire

The shuffle comes after a spring session of parliament that saw the Conservatives attacked for their handling of the war in Afghanistan, their environmental policies and their changes to taxes on income trusts.

Defence Minister Gordon O'Connor will no longer serve as defence minister.
(Ian Barrett/Canadian Press)

O'Connor repeatedly came under fire in the House of Commons in April, when reports emerged that prisoners were being tortured after they were transferred from the Canadian military to Afghan police.

He was also heavily criticized for his inability to sell Canada's increasingly unpopular mission in Afghanistan to the Canadian public.

MacKay, meanwhile, is considered one of Prime Minister Stephen Harper's most high-profile cabinet ministers.

But Harper said the change does not mean O'Connor failed in his defence portfolio. Harper stressed that O'Connor has served in the defence field throughout his career, and it is time for him to try something new.

"I think Mr. O'Connor has accomplished a great deal," Harper said, explaining that during his time in the role, O'Connor secured a high level of investment in the Canadian military and has made Arctic sovereignty a priority.

"Minister O'Connor has also been the architect of the government's Canada First defence strategy and he's been way ahead of the curve in insisting there be important investments in protecting Canadian sovereignty."

Opposition leaders criticize MacKay appointment

But NDP Leader Jack Layton, who previously called for O'Connor's resignation, said he is disappointed that MacKay was chosen as O'Connor's replacement.

"What we see with Mr. MacKay, the foreign minister moving into defence, is someone who has defended Mr. Harper's policies in Afghanistan," Layton told reporters at Rideau Hall.

"Where we wanted to see a change in direction, all we get really is a continuation of the same old policies."

Liberal Leader Stéphane Dion accused Harper of choosing new ministers who are better communicators and will be able to better hide the government's mistakes.

He said Harper could prove him wrong by having the new ministers — specifically MacKay and Bernier — tell NATO that Canada has no intention of staying in Afghanistan beyond the planned February 2009 withdrawal date.

"It would show that [Harper] has a new cabinet and a new approach to be honest and frank and transparent on this issue with Canadians and our allies," Dion told reporters while travelling in Moncton.

Sixty-six Canadian soldiers have died since the Afghanistan mission began in 2002, and opposition leaders have been calling for Harper to firmly commit to the withdrawal date.

Newcomer Bernier gets prominent role

The shuffle gives a prominent role to Bernier, a vocal Quebec minister who was considered the unofficial French-language spokesman when the Conservative government announced its budget in March 2007.

He's only been in federal politics for two years.

Maxime Bernier, seen at the swearing-in ceremony at Rideau Hall, has only been in federal government for two years.
(CBC)

"Mr. Bernier is a young minister who has a very strong perspective on economic affairs, but in terms of the development of this government, and his own development, I think he deserves a new challenge," Harper said.

"I hope and I believe that he will be a very effective representative of Canada at the world level."

But Bloc Québécois leader and fellow Quebecer Gilles Duceppe offered a differing view of Bernier.

"He's quite rigid, he's quite dogmatic and he's going to be our new leader of Canadian diplomacy," Duceppe told reporters in Montreal on Tuesday.

"We're not seeing any openness coming from Mr. Harper."

Ontario has most ministers

This is the second substantial cabinet shuffle since Harper's Conservative party was elected 18 months ago.

The new cabinet, with 26 ministers and 5 secretaries of state, offers the most representation to Ontario. Eight Ontario MPs sit as ministers, while five are from Alberta and British Columbia. Quebec is next with four.

The shuffle comes in advance of the fall session at the House of Commons, which will likely start with a throne speech.

The session is slated to begin Sept. 17, but Harper is expected to delay the start date until after the Oct. 10 Ontario election.

With files from the Canadian Press