Liberal MP Carolyn Bennett announces she isn’t running again, ahead of substantial cabinet shuffle

Theglobeandmail.com
July 25, 2023
Bill Curry and Kristy Kirkup

Carolyn Bennett announced Monday that she will not run for re-election ahead of what is expected to be a significant shuffle of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal cabinet this week.

Ms. Bennett, a former family physician who represents the riding of Toronto-St. Paul’s, was first elected more than 26 years ago. She was a member of cabinet under Prime Minister Paul Martin from 2003 until 2006 and returned to cabinet under Mr. Trudeau, holding portfolios related to Indigenous issues and public health. She is currently Minister of Mental Health and Addictions.

Speaking with reporters at a news conference in Toronto, Ms. Bennett said she recently met with the Prime Minister and told him that she will not be running again.

“But serving the people of Toronto St. Paul’s is the best job anybody can have. I look forward to just doing whatever I can and whatever the Prime Minister wants me to do,” she said.

Mr. Trudeau is looking to recast his team ahead of the two-year anniversary of the Sept. 20, 2021, federal election, which returned the Liberals to a second consecutive minority government after first winning a majority mandate in 2015.

Speculation is rampant in Ottawa that the shuffle, expected as early as Wednesday, will involve changes to a large number of portfolios. Ministers who are not planning to run again, such as Ms. Bennett, are likely to be dropped from cabinet to make room for new members. Liberal cabinet shuffles under Mr. Trudeau have frequently involved replacing older ministers with younger MPs.

Greg MacEachern, a former Liberal staffer and principal at KAN Strategies, said Monday he expects the forthcoming cabinet shuffle to be significant.

“That doesn’t mean that the top jobs are necessarily going to change,” he said. “But it does mean that there’s anticipation that there’s going to be a fair amount of movement.”

Mr. MacEachern said the shuffle is taking place after a really rough late winter and spring sitting of the House of Commons and the Prime Minister is looking ahead to the next election.

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Previously, the Liberal government has been loyal to underperformers, Mr. MacEachern said, adding that this is the shuffle where Mr. Trudeau must be at “at his most pragmatic.”

“Liberals are very fired up about the potential of Pierre Poilievre winning an election, much more than they were about Erin O’Toole or even Andrew Scheer,” Mr. MacEachern said.

Former Liberal staffer Alex Wellstead, who previously worked in the Prime Minister’s Office and for several cabinet ministers, said that this is a point in the mandate where the Liberals are looking to ensure they have people with the right energy.

The Prime Minister has been in his role for eight years, Mr. Wellstead said, noting longevity comes with positives and drawbacks.

“You’ve got to make sure that you can refresh and get the support where you need it,” he said.

Scott Reid, a principal at Feschuk.Reid who served in a variety of senior roles in the federal government including as senior adviser and director of communications to Mr. Martin, said summer is a natural time to retool the cabinet. He said this gives peoples a chance to get their sea legs in a new role before Parliament resumes. It has also been a couple of years since the last election campaign, he added.

“That’s also a natural time to say, ‘Hey, we need to move some folks around,’” he said.

Mr. Reid also said that in a minority government, even when there is a confidence-and-supply agreement in place between the Liberals and the New Democrats, people never really know when the next election will be. He said this presents an opportunity to canvas ministers about whether they will be running again to ensure there’s a cabinet full of people who will be returning.

“Maybe that gives you a chance to bring in some new blood, which is always good for caucus management,” Mr. Reid said.

Former Liberal ministerial adviser Elliot Hughes, who is now a senior associate with Summa Strategies, said the shuffle will be about promoting strong communicators while also ensuring the cabinet is well-placed to connect with key constituencies such as women, diverse communities and young people ahead of the next election.

“Now is the time for the government to tighten up how it conveys the policy actions it has taken to address the critical issues of the day,” he said, referencing cost-of-living issues such as inflation and housing affordability.