Photo: Adrian Wyld La Presse canadienne Seamus O'Regan restera député de sa circonscription de St. John’s-Sud–Mount Pearl, à Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador, jusqu’aux prochaines élections générales, selon une source libérale bien placée.
Liberal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announced Thursday that he is stepping down from his ministerial role, citing his intention to spend more time with his spouse and family.
“My family comes first. I have to be a better husband, a better son, a better uncle and a better friend, and that job requires and deserves a lot of time to do it well,” he wrote in a three-page statement shared on social media.
Seamus O’Regan reiterated his full support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in his letter. He will remain the MP for his riding of St. John’s South–Mount Pearl in Newfoundland and Labrador until the next general election.
The Prime Minister had entrusted him with the Seniors portfolio following the July 2023 reshuffle, adding to his task as Minister of Labor which he had held since 2021. The name of the new Minister of Labor and Seniors must be officially announced on Friday.
Seamus O'Regan is a long-time close friend of Justin Trudeau, and notably attended his wedding in 2005. He was a journalist before entering politics under the Liberal banner, in 2015. He has held several ministerial roles, including Natural Resources, Indigenous Services and Veterans Affairs.
The minister recently passed a federal law against scabs, which received royal assent in June. The text was part of the agreement reached between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) to keep the Prime Minister in power until 2025.
Trailing behind in the national polls, Justin Trudeau's Liberals had to mourn the loss of their party's stronghold Toronto–St. Paul’s, passed into the hands of the conservatives on June 24. Observers are closely following the upcoming by-election in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, which will test the resilience of Liberal strongholds in Quebec.
The next federal general election must take place no later than October 2025.