Former Liberal cabinet minister Marco Mendicino won't seek re-election

Marco Mendicino, a prominent Toronto member of Parliament and former minister of public safety and immigration, won’t run in the next federal election, CTV News has learned.

In a lengthy written statement, Mendicino, who has represented the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence since 2015, said it’s “the right time, for me and my family” to step away, and that he will serve out the rest of the session as an MP.

“I have always felt the greatest sense of fulfillment in this job when I am with my community,” Mendicino wrote.

In the statement, Mendicino detailed his work on behalf of that community, but wrote that, as “gratifying as it is, the work of an MP is not always easy.”

“It is no secret that I have disagreed with the current direction of the federal government on our foreign policy vis-a-vis our deteriorated relations with the State of Israel, our inadequate handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and our enfeebled role in the Middle East.”

The former minister’s statement goes on to note there must be "room for different views" in political parties. 

“As a matter of principle, I have been consistently outspoken in my condemnation of the unjust targeting of the Jewish community, which is facing a tidal wave of antisemitism.”

Former Liberal justice minister Irwin Cotler lamented Mendicino’s exit from Parliament in a brief conversation with CTV News.

“He’s been at the forefront of standing up to antisemitism and all forms of hate in a principled way,” Cotler said.

“I’m hopeful his voice will find other forms of expression.”

In Mendicino’s statement, the MP wrote he has been approached by Toronto residents and community leaders who feel he “should continue to play an active leadership role in our city,” and that he welcomes hearing from more people about how to do that.

Mendicino’s foray into federal politics drew headlines from the start.

He faced off for the Liberal nomination in the downtown Toronto riding against Eve Adams, who had crossed the floor from the Conservatives and was backed for the nomination by Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau before he became the prime minister.

Mendicino went on to win the nomination and defeated then-finance minister Joe Oliver in the 2015 election.

After his 2019 re-election, Mendicino became immigration minister, and then public safety minister in 2021. Under the latter portfolio, Mendicino oversaw significant legislation and faced multiple controversies.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau attends a Liberal Party fundraising event alongside Liberal MP Marco Mendicino in Toronto on Wednesday, September 4, 2019. (Chris Young / The Canadian Press)

During his time at public safety, he presided over the development of gun control legislation alongside stakeholders like Toronto Metropolitan University Professor Wendy Cukier, co-founder of the Coalition for Gun Control. Cukier, who worked with multiple justice ministers over decades on the file, told CTV News Mendicino was “thoughtful and consultative.”

“He understood the realities across the country were different,” she said. “I saw him as having a nuanced understanding of the technical aspects of the legislation he was trying to develop.”

The legislation, however, did face some backlash and the portfolio soon came under increased public scrutiny.

Mendicino was public safety minister when the government invoked the Emergencies Act during the 2022 Freedom Convoy protests, as well as when serial killer Paul Bernado was transferred to a medium-security facility in the spring of 2023, which set off a political firestorm for the federal government. He was dropped from cabinet that summer and replaced by Dominic Leblanc.

Minister of Public Safety Marco Mendicino delivers a statement after appearing as a witness at a House of Commons standing committee on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Thursday, June 15, 2023. (Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press)

Liberals leaving politics

Mendicino’s decision to leave federal politics comes after six cabinet ministers announced they would not run in the next election, including, most recently,former minister of housing Sean Fraser.

The decision also comes after a tumultuous number of weeks for Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Last month, Chrystia Freeland announced she was resigning from cabinet as deputy prime minister and finance minister, saying she and Trudeau were at odds over the “best path forward for Canada.”

Since then, more than a dozen Liberal MPs have publicly asked the prime minister to step aside. The Ontario and Atlantic caucuses have met and decided to ask the same.

All the chairs of regional Liberal caucuses have a scheduled Zoom meeting tomorrow, at 3 p.m. EST, to discuss next steps. 

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre is also calling for a non-confidence vote in the Trudeau government as soon as Parliament resumes, while NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said in a letter last month that the Liberals "don't deserve another chance" and that his party will "put forward a clear motion of non-confidence in the next sitting of the House of Commons."

In his statement, Mendicino thanked Liberal MPs and former cabinet colleagues “who have my respect and admiration,” his staff, members of his riding association, as well as counterparts in the Opposition and Senate. He did not mention the prime minister in the statement.

With files from CTV’s Judy Trinh and Stephanie Ha