Veteran Liberal MP Wayne Easter won't seek re-election in long-held P.E.I. riding
Veteran Liberal MP Wayne Easter has decided not to run for a 10th term in Parliament.
The one-time cabinet minister says he won't seek re-election in the Prince Edward Island riding of Malpeque, which he's represented uninterrupted for almost 28 years.
Easter, 71, made the announcement in the House of Commons on Monday.
Although all parties profess not to want an election while the country continues to grapple with the COVID-19 pandemic, Easter notes that rumours of a summer election abound.
On the "off-chance" the rumours are true, Easter says he chose to announce his decision now in order to give prospective Liberal candidates time to come forward and compete for the right to carry the party banner in Malpeque during the next election.
Easter carried the rural riding in 2019 with 41 per cent of the vote, ahead of the Greens with 26.5 per cent and the Conservatives with 25.6 per cent.
Easter served as solicitor general in Jean Chretien's government and is currently chair of the influential House of Commons finance committee.
He's been known for speaking bluntly and sometimes critically of his own party. Most recently, he's been championing a swift reopening of the Canada-U.S. border.
"It is close to 28 years since I was first elected to this chamber," Easter told the Commons on Monday.
"It's been my honour to work with and serve the residents of Malpeque for nine terms."
Conservative MP Pierre Poilievre, one of the fiercest critics of the Liberal government's budgetary policies, tweeted his reaction to Easter's announcement.
"The last Liberal MP with a functioning calculator calls it quits," Poilievre said, adding that Easter had presided over many of his favourite moments at finance committee.
"A happy retirement to you, Wayne."
In a statement Monday evening, P.E.I. Premier Dennis King thanked Easter for his 28 years of service as an MP, noting that Easter has been King's local MP for the last 17 years.
King, who is a Progressive Conservative, noted Easter has been "a friend and ally to our government since 2019" and has worked collaboratively for the best interest of everyone in the province.
"As a political observer, I've watched Wayne since his first election in 1993 represent our province with dignity, respect, and integrity while ensuring the voices of Islanders were always heard in our nation's capital," King said in the statement.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 14, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.