A mounting number of Liberal MPs have either resigned, turned their backs on seeking re-election or been kicked out of the Liberal caucus entirely since the 2015 election.
A True North analysis of the Liberal caucus reveals 13 MPs elected as Liberals in 2015 will not be carrying their party’s banner moving forward. .
Resigned from caucus:
Hunter Tootoo
On May 31, 2016 Tootoo resigned from the Liberal caucus and his cabinet position as the minister of fisheries, oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard. Tootoo cited alcoholism as the reason behind his resignation. To this day, Tootoo still serves as an independent MP in the House of Commons after seeking treatment for his problem.
Darshan Kang
On August 31, 2017 Kang resigned from the Liberal caucus after several allegations of sexual harassment during his term as an Alberta MLA. Two female staffers came forward with information about Kang’s alleged inappropriate behaviour which led to his resignation. Kang is currently still sitting as an independent MP in the House of Commons.
Raj Grewal
On November 30, 2018 Grewal resigned from the Liberal caucus after the Ethics Commissioner launched an investigation into his gambling habits. According to reports, Grewal spent several millions of dollars gambling at a number of casinos. Currently Grewal still sits as an independent MP and the RCMP cannot confirm or deny whether it is investigating him.
Scott Brison
On February 10, 2019 Brison resigned from his position as the president of the Treasury Board and as a Member of Parliament. Several days after it was announced that Brison would be taking on a vice-chair position at the Bank of Montreal. Trudeau has often blamed Brison’s resignation for demoting Jody Wilson-Raybould from her as position as Attorney General.
Nicola Di Iorio
On January 29, 2019 Di Iorio officially resigned from his seat as a Member of Parliament. Di Iorio had initially announced he would resign on April 25, 2018 but after a change of heart, he had delayed his resignation by several months.
Celina Cesar-Chavannes
On March 20, 2019 Cesar-Chavannes resigned from the Liberal caucus citing conflict with the Prime Minister. Initially the Whitby, Ontario MP had announced she would not be seeking re-election but after a report surfaced that Justin Trudeau reacted with hostility to the news, Cesar-Chavannes abandoned the Liberal party. Currently she is serving as an independent MP in the House of Commons.
Expelled from caucus:
Jody Wilson-Raybould
On April 2, 2019 the former Attorney General and Justice Minister was expelled from the Liberal caucus after she initiated the ongoing SNC-Lavalin scandal plaguing the Trudeau government. Wilson-Raybould was allegedly demoted from her cabinet position after she decided not to intervene on behalf of the Montreal construction giant’s bribery charges.
Her allegations plunged the Trudeau government into a prolonged political interference scandal.
Despite asking to remain in the Liberal caucus, Wilson-Raybould was expelled by the Prime Minister for “broken trust”. She currently sits as an independent in the House of Commons and is seeking re-election.
A recent poll indicates that Wilson-Raybould could beat any Vancouver riding rivals by nearly double digits in a campaign.
Jane Philpott
On April 2, 2019 Philpott who acted as the former President of the Treasury Board was expelled from the Liberal caucus shortly after she quit the Liberal cabinet alongside Jody Wilson-Raybould. Philpott, a close friend of Wilson-Raybould resigned from her cabinet position due to a loss of “confidence” in the federal government’s handling of the SNC-Lavalin allegations.
Shortly after, she was expelled from the Liberal caucus alongside the former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould.
Not running for re-election:
Colin Fraser
On September 28, 2018 Fraser announced he won’t run again on September 28, 2018 because he wanted to return to his legal career.
John Oliver
On February 18, 2019 Oliver announced that he won’t be seeking re-election under the Liberal banner so that he could continue spending time with his family.
T.J Harvey
On February 19, 2019 Harvey announced that he will not run for re-election in 2019 after serving one term in government. The New Brunswick MP cited a desire to return to private sector work as the main motivator behind his plans.
Rodger Cuzner
On April 26, 2019 Cuzner announced that he will not be running as a Liberal candidate in the 2019 election. Cuzner cited the fact that he was “tired and cranky” as the main reason behind his decision. Cuzner had been an MP since 2000.
Andrew Leslie
On May 1, 2019 Leslie announced that he was not intending on running for re-election as a Liberal candidate. Leslie who claimed that it was time “to take a new path” served as a chief government whip for the Liberals and the parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs.
