“I will miss this place very much and many of the people in it, on all sides, but the time has come for me to start a new chapter in my life,” said Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird as he announced his resignation from the Conservative cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Tuesday (February 3).
He also announced he would not be running in the next federal election, and would be stepping down as a Member of Parliament in the next few weeks.
Many observers and fellow parliamentarians were caught off-guard by the sudden announcement. In his speech to the House of Commons Tuesday morning he did not elaborate on what that “new chapter in my life” would be.
Baird has been a cabinet minister in the Harper government ever since he and the party were elected into power in 2006.
He has been tough in his attacks against the opposition parties defending government policy in a number of key cabinet positions.
As Environment Minister he called the Kyoto climate agreement a “risky, reckless scheme” and Canada pulled out of it. As Foreign Affairs minister he aggressively promoted Canada’s pro-Israel position.
Despite his sometimes partisan attacks against the opposition parties, both the Official Opposition NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar and the Liberal opposition foreign affairs critic Marc Garneau praised him in the House of Commons for his political passion.
More information:
Maclean’s Magazine – John Baird: ‘The time has come for me to start a new chapter’ – here
Toronto Star – John Baird resigns in emotional House of Commons speech – here
Ottawa Citizen – Foreign Minister John Baird steps down from cabinet, won’t run again – here
Huffington Post – John Baird’s Long Career In Politics: 5 Things To Know – here
Postmedia News – Fisher: Frequent-flyer John Baird won’t be missed by Canada’s diplomats – here
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