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Canadian PM Reorganizes Government Amid Plunging Polls


Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets families following a press conference at Lac-Mégantic high school on July 7, 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, one day after a train derailment and subsequent explosion and fire.
Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper greets families following a press conference at Lac-Mégantic high school on July 7, 2013 in Lac-Megantic, Quebec, Canada, one day after a train derailment and subsequent explosion and fire.
Faced with falling public opinion poll numbers, Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper has named eight new ministers in his biggest cabinet reorganization since taking office in 2006.

A half-dozen ministers recently announced they were stepping down, but ministers with key portfolios, such as finance and foreign affairs, will remain at their posts. The appointees include four women.

The government shake-up appears to be aimed at making a new start for the Canadian government before federal elections in 2015. An recent expenses scandal dented Harper's Conservative Party's popularity.

Harper named the new ministers in Twitter messages, before a formal announcement.

There are currently 38 ministers associated with the Harper cabinet.
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