Labour and Seniors Minister Seamus O'Regan during a news conference, in Ottawa, on May 1. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said O’Regan is stepping down for 'family reasons,' but will stay on as an MP.Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press
Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan, a close friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, is resigning from the federal cabinet after serving seven years as a minister.
Mr. Trudeau said Mr. O’Regan is stepping down for “family reasons,” but will stay on as an MP.
In a statement posted on social media, Mr. O’Regan said he made the difficult decision to resign from cabinet effective Friday and not seek re-election next year in his Newfoundland and Labrador riding because his family comes first.
“I need to be a better husband, son, uncle, and friend, and this job means, and deserves, a lot of time in order to do it well,” Mr. O’Regan said.
By staying as MP until the next election, the minority Liberal government will avoid another by-election amid flagging popularity for both the party and the Prime Minister.
“Minister O’Regan has been a steadfast advocate for labour unions and workers. He has implemented measures for free and fair bargaining, including by introducing historic anti-scab legislation to ban replacement workers,” Mr. Trudeau said in a statement.
“He has worked extensively with partners to solve complex labour disputes at the bargaining table, while protecting trade and jobs.”
The new Minister of Labour and Seniors will be sworn in at Rideau Hall on Friday, Mr. Trudeau said.
A source said a possible replacement is Gatineau, Que., MP Steve MacKinnon, who stepped in to assume the duties of House Leader when Karina Gould took maternity leave. Ms. Gould has returned to work. The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source, who was not authorized to discuss cabinet matters.
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In his statement, Mr. O’Regan thanked his cabinet and caucus colleagues and many staff and civil servants, and listed expanded paid sick leave and the ban on replacement workers during job actions as among his accomplishments in the labour portfolio. He also heralded the billions that the federal government has poured into his province since the Liberals took office in 2015.
“Importantly for me, at this juncture, I leave my Province in better financial health,” he said. “I’m also proud of the fact that no government has delivered more for my Province since Confederation itself.”
A source with direct knowledge said that Mr. O’Regan informed the Prime Minister several weeks ago that he wanted to leave politics so he could spend more time with his partner.
The source said Mr. O’Regan found it difficult living in Ottawa and commuting to Newfoundland while his spouse lives in Toronto.
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The Globe and Mail is not identifying the source because they were not permitted to disclose the confidential information.
Mr. O’Regan has been the MP for St. John’s South-Mount Pearl since 2015. He was first named to cabinet in 2017 and has held five different ministerial posts.
In 2015, the Liberals swept Atlantic Canada in a red wave that helped tipped the election into a majority victory. But the Conservatives have slowly notched their way back and last year opened up a wide lead in public-opinion polling across Atlantic Canada after the federal carbon pricing backstop took effect across the region.
In response, the minority government’s East Coast caucus launched a lobby campaign for changes to the climate-change policies and the federal government agreed to a three-year carveout for home heating oil and an expanded heat pump rebate program.
Despite the Liberals recently narrowing the gap with the Conservatives out East, Liberal MPs on the ground are concerned about their prospects in the next general election – a fear that was only heightened by the Liberal by-election loss in their Toronto fortress last month.
Mr. O’Regan’s announcement makes him the third out of six MPs in Newfoundland and Labrador who are not seeking re-election in the 2025 election, and several Liberals on Thursday said they expected more such announcements.
Lori Turnbull, chair of the public and international affairs department at Dalhousie University, said Mr. O’Regan’s exit means the Prime Minister is losing a close ally and someone who has his back personally at an already vulnerable time for Mr. Trudeau.
She added that it’s unlikely that his resignation is connected to questions about the future of Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney, but the timing is unhelpful. She added that the Prime Minister is already under intense pressure to make significant changes in his government in order to appease a restless caucus.
“He needs to do something definitive, like a major shuffle, before the caucus retreat and return of the House,” Prof. Turnbull said.
With a report from James Bradshaw