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Amid expectations of a federal cabinet shuffle this week, veteran cabinet minister Carolyn Bennett has announced she is leaving federal politics.
At an announcement in Toronto, Canada’s Minister of Mental Health and Addictions said she will not seek another term in the Toronto-St. Paul’s riding she has represented since 1997.
“I do want to share that I have shared with the Prime Minister, met with the Prime Minister, that I will not be seeking re-election in the next election,” Ms. Bennett said.
“But serving the people of Toronto-St. Paul’s is the best job anybody can have and I look forward to doing whatever I can and whatever the Prime Minister wants me to do,” she said.
Ms. Bennett, a physician, previously served as the minister of Crown-Indigenous relations and as minister of Indigenous and northern affairs. Under former prime minister Paul Martin, she was a minister of state for public health.
Mr. Trudeau is expected to announce a shuffle on Wednesday, an effort that comes ahead of a Liberal cabinet retreat in Prince Edward Island next month. There’s a list of current cabinet ministers here.
Ms. Bennett’s announcement came as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was, according to his official schedule, in private meetings in Ottawa.
Also Monday, scheduled events for a pair of cabinet ministers were cancelled. Transport Minister Omar Alghabra was to make an announcement at Vancouver International Airport and Ginette Petitpas Taylor, the Official Languages Minister, was to make an announcement in Montreal.
Mr. Trudeau last shuffled his cabinet in October, 2021 after the last federal election, with 38 ministers in addition to himself at the cabinet table.
