High-profile Liberal minister to announce he is not running in next election, quitting cabinet: sources

Labour Minister Seamus O'Regan is set to announce as early as Thursday that he will not run in the next federal election, and will be quitting his cabinet position, multiple Liberal sources tell CTV News.

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan is set to announce as early as Thursday that he will not run in the next federal election, and will be quitting his cabinet position, multiple Liberal sources tell CTV News.

The high-profile, long-time Liberal is leaving politics for personal reasons, but he intends to stay on as an MP until the next election, according to sources.

O’Regan informed the prime minister of his decision to step away from politics on Canada Day, sources also say.

The announcement comes amid the federal Liberals’ sustained slumping in public opinion polls, and as speculation grows about a potential cabinet shuffle this summer.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet is also expected to meet Friday, and as CTV News reported Wednesday, the agenda includes a discussion about “appointments.”

According to a new poll from Abacus Data, 61 per cent of Canadians say they would vote for a change in government in the next federal election.

O’Regan — a long-time close friend of Trudeau who was also a member of his wedding party in 2005 — was first elected to the House of Commons in 2015, and he was re-elected in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections.