Federal Housing Minister Sean Fraser is set to announce Monday he won’t run in the next federal election, creating another cabinet vacancy in the Liberal government that’s expected to be filled in a shuffle as early as this week.
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Two senior federal government sources tell CTV News that Fraser has been considering a run at the Nova Scotia provincial Liberal leadership. The Nova Scotia Liberals lost decisively to the Progressive Conservatives last month in the province’s election.
Fraser was considered a rising star internally for the federal Liberals, tasked with one of the most important portfolios of the year, as Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his team aimed to build a budget and agenda around the issue of housing.
The news of Fraser’s departure from cabinet comes as a second push to bring former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney into cabinet is underway. The push was first reported by the Globe and Mail.
With Fraser’s announcement, there are a total of six cabinet ministers who have announced they won’t seek re-election, and one - Randy Boissonnault - who announced last month he was leaving cabinet to try and clear his name amid accusations of ethical breaches.
With files from CTV News' Vassy Kapelos and Brennan MacDonald