Vandal deals blow to Liberals, won’t run in next election Winnipegger among multiple federal cabinet ministers set to step down; ‘I want to spend more time at home’ By: Joyanne Pursaga Posted: 12:39 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 Last Modified: 5:56 PM CDT Thursday, Oct. 17, 2024 Updates

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A longtime Winnipeg federal cabinet minister says he won’t run for re-election, putting an end to a 30-year political career and raising further questions about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s leadership.

Dan Vandal, who is the northern affairs minister, was one of four cabinet ministers who confirmed this week that they won’t run next year, including Marie-Claude Bibeau (national revenue), Carla Qualtrough (sports) and Filomena Tassi (economic development for southern Ontario).

Trudeau is expected to make changes to his cabinet for the third time since July after the latest group of ministers informed the Prime Minister’s Office they are hanging up their hats.

For Vandal, it’s been a long run.

“Basically, I want to spend more time at home in Winnipeg and in St. Boniface… For the better part of 30 years, I’ve been involved (in politics). That’s a long stretch and it’s a pretty good run. I turn 65 next year, which is a good age to go on to the next chapter in your life,” Vandal told the Free Press Thursday.

None of the ministers immediately left the cabinet. Vandal indicated he was “working with the Prime Minister’s Office to ensure an orderly transition of my cabinet positions.”

There is no date set for the shuffle but a source told The Canadian Press it won’t be before all Liberal caucus members are expected to meet on Parliament Hill on Oct. 23.

First elected as the Winnipeg city councillor for St. Boniface in 1995, Vandal served in that role until 2004, when he made an unsuccessful bid to become mayor. Vandal was re-elected to his council seat in 2006, which he held until 2014, when he left to pursue federal politics.

In 2015, he was elected to represent the federal riding of Saint Boniface-Saint Vital. Vandal has been minister of northern affairs since 2019.

He stressed his decision not to seek re-election is not linked to plunging Liberal poll numbers in recent months or calls for Trudeau to resign as the party’s leader.

“For the better part of 30 years, I’ve been involved (in politics). That’s a long stretch and it’s a pretty good run.”–Dan Vandal

“It’s nothing to do with the controversies that are engulfing the prime minister and the leadership. I have confidence in Prime Minister Trudeau, he’s the reason I ran federally back in 2015… I know it’s not looking good now but I guarantee the polls are going to tighten up and we’re going to win the next election,” he said.

Trudeau’s leadership has been under fire for months as the government’s polling numbers tanked alongside his approval ratings.

Trudeau has been steadfast in his plans to stay on as party leader for the next campaign, which must happen before October 2025, but could happen far sooner with a minority government.

Vandal called his experience in politics “a real privilege” but said he won’t seek political office in the future.

He listed Winnipeg’s ban on smoking in indoor public spaces, which took effect in 2003, as one of his proudest political accomplishments.

“A few of us pushed to make sure that smoking in public spaces was outlawed. We were ridiculed, we were laughed at, we were threatened. We were told that businesses were going to go under if we did this but… people are healthier because of it,” said Vandal, who plans to complete his term as an MP.

A local expert said the departure isn’t a surprise following the “very demanding” work of a cabinet minister.

“There aren’t many hours in the day when you get to be on your own and just turn off your political role,” said Paul Thomas, professor emeritus of political studies at the University of Manitoba.

Thomas said Vandal’s exit will be a significant loss for the Liberals.

“(He) is such an institution within the constituency… He’s such a recognizable public figure,” he said.

Christopher Adams, an adjunct political studies professor at the University of Manitoba, said Vandal will be tough to replace.

“Dan Vandal (leaving) will have a major impact on the next election because it will be hard to find somebody of (his) stature … and you can bet the Conservatives will be eyeing that (seat) to see if they can get it back,” said Adams.

“Dan Vandal (leaving) will have a major impact on the next election because it will be hard to find somebody of (his) stature.”–Christopher Adams, political studies professor

He said the number of Liberal MPs opting against re-election bids may partly reflect the fact the party has held power since 2015.

“(That) is a long time for people to be away from their families and living in Ottawa… (and) most governments don’t remain popular for 10 years (either),” said Adams.

Winnipeg North MP Kevin Lamoureux said he will run again if Trudeau remains the party’s leader, though he could re-evaluate the decision if a new leader is selected.

“The only commitment that I’ve made is that if Justin Trudeau is the leader, I am running, that’s 100 per cent,” said Lamoureux.

Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Ben Carr said he will “absolutely” run for re-election.

“It’s a very simple decision. I believe that there is a lot of work left to do to move the country forward. I believe that there is a lot of progress that has been made,” said Carr.

The riding will look different during the next election, since its new boundaries will extend into Linden Ridge and Whyte Ridge and lose part of Tuxedo.

Adams said that could affect some votes, since Linden Ridge and Whyte Ridge residents tend to fit the profile of more Conservative voters, while Tuxedo residents tend to have a more Liberal profile. However, he said the riding already had many highly competitive races prior to any geographic changes.

Carr said his top priority is to reach out to all voters, stressing past results don’t dictate future ones.

Winnipeg South Liberal MP Terry Duguid could not be reached for comment.

— with files from The Canadian Press

joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

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