Dan Vandal said his decision not to seek a fourth term as MP for San Boniface San Vital was not due to the poor electoral prospects of the unpopular Federal Liberal Party, but rather because he was stepping away from politics after 26 years in public life. He says this is due to his desire to do so.
Vandal, 64, announced his decision not to seek re-election on Thursday, joining five other Liberal cabinet ministers and 18 other members of the Liberal caucus who do not intend to seek re-election.
This type of exodus is common when a government has been polling poorly for a long time leading up to an election cycle, but Vandal said his decision to leave politics was based on his age and years of service as an MP and Winnipeg city councilor. said it is related to.
“I’ve been elected eight times in this region and I’m 65 years old,” Vandal said in an interview Thursday outside his constituency office on St. Mary’s Road in Winnipeg.
“This is a great opportunity to start a new chapter in my life, do something else, spend more time in Winnipeg and at home in St. Boniface, spend more time with my three granddaughters, and spend more time on planes. I think this is a great way to reduce the amount of time you spend riding.
Vandal said his decision to leave the House of Commons before the next general election comes after recent party popularity polls show Pierre Poièvre’s Conservative Party leading Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party by 17 to 24 points. He said he had nothing to do with it.
“I’m not resigning because the polls are bad. I’m not resigning because I’m unhappy with the prime minister. I strongly support Prime Minister Trudeau. He’s done a tremendous job over the last nine years. I think, and I think it’s paying off.’ There’s another chapter there,” Vandal said.
“I’m confident we can come back and win a fourth term, not because Justin Trudeau and the Prime Minister are gods, but because he’s at least 50 times better than Pierre Poièvre.”
Vandal believes that “governments tend to self-destruct after 10 years,” but the group of colleagues in the Liberal caucus who are trying to oust Trudeau from the prime minister’s office simply suffer from a lack of resolve. he suggested.
“I think there are a lot of young MPs who are a little worried that their careers are going to end too soon,” he says.
“I don’t want to call them nervous Nellies, but I think they are young, nervous, members of Congress who are going through a difficult time.”
CBC’s Bartley Kaibs reported on two major developments in Manitoba politics Thursday. One is the announcement by Liberal MP Dan Vandal, who has served as a federal and city councilor for more than 25 years, that he will not seek re-election, and the other is the provincial government’s plans to change its plans. A view of the Interlake flood mitigation channel.
Born into a Métis family in Winnipeg, Vandal competed as a professional boxer and earned a degree in social work before entering politics. He was first elected to the St. Boniface City Council in 1995 and was re-elected twice before resigning in 2004, midway through his third term, to run for mayor of Winnipeg.
Vandal finished second in the Winnipeg mayoral by-election to Sam Cutts by 43,000 votes. Two years later, Vandal regained his St. Boniface City seat and served two more terms on the City Council, including serving on Katz’s Executive Policy Committee.
Vandal was elected to the House of Commons as part of Justin Trudeau’s only Liberal majority government in 2015 after declining to stand in Winnipeg’s sixth election.
He has since been appointed to the Cabinet, serving as Minister of Northern Affairs and Minister of State for both the Prairies Economic Development Authority and the Canada Northern Economic Development Authority.
Mr. Vandal said the federal government’s support for the redevelopment of the former Bay Building by the Southern Organization of Mayors, the redevelopment of Portage Place Mall by True North Real Estate, and the redevelopment of the former Bank of Montreal building by the Manitoba Métis Federation, all located in downtown Winnipeg. It said support would be included. The effort that made him happiest as a member of Congress.
“Downtown revitalization is something I’ve always worked on,” he said.
Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew issued a statement Thursday praising Vandal’s work on behalf of Manitobans.
He will be removed from cabinet in the coming weeks, but said he intends to serve out the remainder of his term as a member of the Liberal minority government.
“I plan to stay here until the next election, whether it’s in three months or in October 2025,” he said.
