Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith has reached out to his supporters through email, letting them know he will be resigning from his position in the House of Commons. He also invited volunteers to join an event celebrating his ten years of public service.
He was first elected in Beaches-East York back in 2015 and had a short stint as housing minister during Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s last cabinet and Prime Minister Mark Carney’s initial cabinet.
The email doesn’t mention whether he still plans on pursuing the Ontario Liberal leadership role.
His attempt to transition to the provincial party hit a roadblock last month when he lost the Liberal nomination for a byelection in a provincial riding that overlaps with his federal one.
Erskine-Smith challenged the results, claiming there were issues with the nomination process, but his appeal was turned down by the party at the end of May.
The email doesn’t specify when Erskine-Smith intends to leave Parliament, and he hasn’t replied to requests for comments.
Previously, he ran for Ontario Liberal leadership in 2023, finishing second.
Byelections Coming Up
Erskine-Smith joins a few other MPs expected to step down at the conclusion of this parliamentary session, which means voters might see five byelections before summer wraps up.
Former environment minister Steven Guilbeault announced late last month that he would be leaving his seat at the end of this session due to concerns about Canada “backsliding” on climate action. B. C. MP Jonathan Wilkinson has been appointed as Canada’s next ambassador to the European Union.
Independent MP Simon-Pierre Savard-Tremblay left the Bloc Québécois caucus and plans on running for the Parti Québécois in this fall’s provincial election. Former NDP MP Alexandre Boulerice also aims to run provincially with Québec Solidaire and is currently serving as an Independent MP until then.
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