4 more Liberal cabinet ministers not seeking re-election: sources

Four much national furniture ministers volition not tally successful the adjacent election, Global News has learned, which is expected to punctual different furniture shuffle successful the coming weeks.

The increasing exodus is different situation for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and the Liberals aft much than a twelvemonth of slumping canvass numbers and caller byelection losses successful caller weeks, arsenic good arsenic reports of increasing interior caucus discontent implicit the past week.

Global News has confirmed Filomena Tassi, who serves arsenic curate of economical improvement for confederate Ontario, and Northern Affairs Minister Dan Vandal person informed Trudeau of their determination not to tally again.

Both ministers were archetypal elected successful 2015. Vandal was named bluish affairs curate successful 2019, portion Tassi has served aggregate furniture roles since 2018, including arsenic seniors curate and labour minister.

As well, a elder authorities root says National Revenue Minister Marie-Claude Bibeau and Sports Minister Carla Qualtrough — some of whom person been successful furniture since the archetypal Liberal authorities was elected successful 2015 — are besides not moving for re-election.

Qualtrough had antecedently told Global News arsenic precocious arsenic past week she planned to tally again.

The root said that these calls were made “weeks ago” and that they were “planned and personal.”

Two different ministers, Seamus O’Regan and Pablo Rodriguez, resigned from furniture earlier this year. Seven much MPs person resigned this year, including past furniture members Carolyn Bennett, David Lametti and Marc Garneau.

With truthful galore furniture departures, Trudeau volition person to draught successful much caller faces from the Liberal backbenches to capable the recently vacant furniture posts. Many existing furniture members person been fixed further portfolios to juggle.

The departures of Bennett and Lametti led to byelections for their respective Toronto and Montreal-area ridings that the Liberals mislaid aft holding them for decades — further darkening the Liberals’ prospects for the adjacent election.

At slightest 2 Liberal MPs person publically said it’s clip for Trudeau to measurement speech and marque mode for a caller leader. A increasing interior revolt is besides playing retired successful private, Global News has besides learned, with up to 30 MPs signing a secretive papers urging Trudeau to go.

Trending Now

The papers has not been signed oregon adjacent circulated among furniture ministers, who person unanimously stood by Trudeau successful public.

One Liberal MP, Chandra Arya, wrote an email to caucus viewed by Global News urging his colleagues trying to unseat Trudeau to halt and see the harm it whitethorn create.

“I foresee a vicious conflict for enactment which volition fracture the fragile enactment operation with vastly antithetic ideas and personalities,” Arya wrote. “The results volition beryllium disastrous.”

The Liberals besides had to regenerate the party’s nationalist run manager aft helium resigned past month.

The authorities has survived 2 assurance votes enactment guardant by the Conservatives since Parliament returned successful mid-September, but the Bloc Québécois has fixed the Liberals until the extremity of October to conscionable its legislative demands oregon suffer its enactment successful aboriginal assurance motions.

The Conservatives person vowed to support introducing matters of non-confidence astatine each accidental until the House of Commons breaks for Christmas.

— with further files from Global’s Bryan Mullen