Erskine-Smith says he feels 'disrespected' after being dropped from cabinet

Liberal feels 'disrespected'

Photo: The Canadian Press

Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith takes questions from reporters as he arrives for a meeting of the Liberal caucus on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, June 5, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Justin Tang

Former housing minister Nate Erskine-Smith says it's "impossible not to feel disrespected" after being dropped from cabinet.

In a series of social media posts Tuesday, the member of Parliament for Beaches–East York said he ran in the recent election for the opportunity to make "an even bigger difference around the cabinet table and to help fix the housing crisis."

Prime Minister Mark Carney shook up his cabinet Tuesday by moving some key players involved in Canada-U.S. relations into new positions and promoting 24 new faces in a move meant to signal change at the top.

Erskine-Smith was among 10 people Carney dropped from his cabinet.

Erskine-Smith said in January 2024 that he wouldn't run again in the next federal election, but reversed course in December after he was appointed minister of housing by then-prime minister Justin Trudeau.

He says today that the way things played out "doesn't sit right" with him.

"But I’m mostly disappointed that my team and I won’t have the chance to build on all we accomplished with only a short runway," he said.

Erskine-Smith said that while "you never know what the future holds," for now he'll be "working hard" for his constituents, restarting his podcast and returning to Parliament with "a renewed sense of freedom."

Also left out of the cabinet on Tuesday were former defence minister Bill Blair, former energy minister Jonathan Wilkinson, and former environment minister Terry Duguid.