Randy Boissonnault announced he will not run in upcoming election

Employment, Workforce Development and Official Languages Minister Randy Boissonnault takes part in a press conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick

Former cabinet minister Randy Boissonnault says he will not run again in the upcoming election.

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The Liberal party had confirmed Boissonnault as a candidate in Edmonton Centre, a riding he won in 2015, lost in 2019, then reclaimed in 2021.

In a statement posted to X today, the former cabinet minister says the past year had been a difficult one for him and his family.

Boissonnault resigned from cabinet in November amid controversy over his business dealings and skepticism about his claims of Indigenous identity.

The move is sure to further fuel speculation about where Prime Minister Mark Carney will run, who grew up in Edmonton and skated with his beloved Oilers hockey team on Thursday.

Pressed by reporters leaving the first ministers meeting in Ottawa on Friday, Carney wouldn’t reveal which riding he’ll seek election.

Other ridings he is believed to be considering are the Toronto Centre riding being vacated by former cabinet minister Marci Ien and the Nepean riding in Ottawa, freed up by the Liberals’ decision to oust MP Chandra Arya from the ballot on Thursday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 21, 2025.

Nick Murray, The Canadian Press