Former cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault says he will not run again in the upcoming federal election.
The Liberal party had confirmed Boissonnault as a candidate in Edmonton Centre, a riding he won in 2015, lost in 2019, then reclaimed in 2021.
In a statement posted to X Friday, the former cabinet minister says the past year “has been an incredibly difficult one for me and my family.”
Boissonnault resigned from cabinet in November amid controversy over his business dealings and skepticism about his claims of Indigenous identity.
The move is sure to further fuel speculation about where Prime Minister Mark Carney will run. He grew up in Edmonton and skated with his beloved Oilers hockey team on Thursday.
Pressed by reporters leaving the first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Friday, Carney wouldn’t reveal which riding he’ll seek election.
Other ridings he is believed to be considering are the Toronto Centre riding being vacated by former cabinet minister Marci Ien, and the Nepean riding in Ottawa, freed up by the Liberals’ decision to oust MP Chandra Arya from the ballot on Thursday.
Watch | Where will Carney run?
CBC’s Catherine Cullen, host of The House, says it’s not yet clear where Prime Minister Mark Carney might run. The Liberal leader — who does not hold a seat in the House of Commons — has ties to several regions, including the North, Alberta and the Ottawa area.
