OTTAWA (CANADA) – Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau tendered his resignation on Monday amid a growing rift with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau regarding expenditure policies and after drawing flak for his connections to a charity which runs a student grant programme.
Morneau said that he would not contest for parliament again. Instead, he is eyeing the position of secretary general of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Amid rumours of a growing rift between the two, last week Trudeau expressed confidence in his finance minister. Morneau, 57, has been handling the portfolio ever since the Liberals assumed power in 2015.
“This morning I went to the prime minister and I tendered my resignation,” Morneau said in a briefing on Monday.
“It’s appropriate that the prime minister find someone with a longer term approach for the role, since I’m not running for office,” he added.
His seat of Toronto comprising low-income families and some of the nation’s wealthiest has been held by the party since 1993 and it is not likely to be at risk.
Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, a close ally of the prime minister, is likely to replace Morneau.
In a statement, Trudeau thanked Morneau for his service over the past five years and said he would “vigorously support” Morneau’s bid to head the OECD.
Nominations for OECD are due by October. The US has plans of nominating deputy White House chief of staff Christopher Liddell.
Several cabinet members were upset when Morneau revealed that he had forgotten to repay travel expenses met by a charity during an ethics probe. Morneau and Trudeau are under the scanner regarding the charity.
(Photos syndicated via Reuters)
This story has been edited by BH staff and is published from a syndicated field
