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
Indian envoy warns of 'big red line,' days after charges laid in Nijjar case
India's envoy to Canada insists relations between the two countries are positive overall, despite what he describes as 'a lot of noise.'
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
U.S. paused bomb shipment to Israel to signal concerns over Rafah invasion, official says
The U.S. paused a shipment of bombs to Israel last week over concerns that Israel was approaching a decision on launching a full-scale assault on the southern Gaza city of Rafah against the wishes of the U.S.
Former homicide detective explains how police will investigate shooting outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion
Footage from dozens of security cameras in the area of Drake’s Bridle Path mansion could be the key to identifying the suspect responsible for shooting and seriously injuring a security guard outside the rapper’s sprawling home early Tuesday morning, a former Toronto homicide detective says.
Northern Ont. woman makes 'eggstraordinary' find
A chicken farmer near Mattawa made an 'eggstraordinary' find Friday morning when she discovered one of her hens laid an egg close to three times the size of an average large chicken egg.
Susan Buckner, who played spirited cheerleader Patty Simcox in 'Grease,' dead at 72
Susan Buckner, best known for playing peppy Rydell High School cheerleader Patty Simcox in the 1978 classic movie musical 'Grease,' has died. She was 72.
Jeremy Skibicki has 'uphill battle' to prove he's not criminally responsible in Winnipeg killings: legal analysts
Accused killer Jeremy Skibicki could have a challenging time convincing a judge that he is not criminally responsible for the deaths of four Indigenous women, a legal analyst says.
Bye-bye bag fee: Calgary repeals single-use bylaw
A Calgary bylaw requiring businesses to charge a minimum bag fee and only provide single-use items when requested has officially been tossed.
Alcohol believed to be a factor in boating incident after 2 men die: N.S. RCMP
Two Nova Scotia men are dead after a boat they were travelling in sank in the Annapolis River in Granville Centre, N.S., on Monday.