Liberal Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan announced Thursday he is stepping down from his ministerial role, citing his intention to spend more time with his spouse and family.
“My family comes first. I have to be a better husband, a better son, a better uncle and a better friend, and that job requires and deserves that I dedicate a lot of time to do it well,” he wrote in a three-page statement shared on social media.
Seamus O’Regan reiterates in his letter his full support for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. He will remain the Member of Parliament for his riding of St. John’s South — Mount Pearl, in Newfoundland and Labrador, until the next general election.
The Prime Minister had entrusted him with the Seniors portfolio following the July 2023 reshuffle, adding to his task as Minister of Labour, which he had held since 2021. The name of the new Minister of Labour and Seniors is to be officially announced on Friday.
Seamus O’Regan is a long-time close friend of Justin Trudeau, having attended his wedding in 2005. He was a journalist before entering politics under the Liberal banner in 2015. He has held several ministerial roles, including Natural Resources, Indigenous Services and Veterans Affairs.
The minister recently pushed through federal anti-scab legislation, which received royal assent in June. The legislation was part of the deal between the Liberal Party and the New Democratic Party (NDP) to keep the prime minister in power until 2025.
Trailing in national polls, Justin Trudeau’s Liberals have had to mourn the loss of their party’s stronghold of Toronto–St. Paul’s, which fell to the Conservatives on June 24. Observers are closely watching the upcoming by-election in the Montreal riding of LaSalle-Émard-Verdun, which will test the resilience of the Liberal strongholds in Quebec.
The next federal general election must be held no later than October 2025.