Scott Brison resigned from the Trudeau cabinet and will not be asked to re-elect in October

Scott Brison is leaving a political career who wants to spend more time with the family that politics has allowed.

After 22 years of representing the new Scottish horseback riding Kings-Hants – initially as an advanced conservative MP before jumping into the Liberals of 2003 – Brison told the Canadian Press that it was time to change. He decided not to re-elect this autumn.

He is not sure whether he will remain Liberal's deputy until the October 21 vote, but he will soon resign from the Cabinet of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, where he will serve as President of the Treasury Council.

"I informed the Prime Minister that I will not run again, but I also told him that I want to give up my cabinet responsibility in due time and support the transition to a new minister," Brison said in an interview. "My personal opinion is that the prime minister and government are best served by the ministers who will participate in the next election."

He said that he is now announcing his decision to offer nominations to the liberals during the riding period to choose who will wear the party in the upcoming elections.

Brison's departure will trigger at least a small transfer in the cabinet, although there are speculation that Trudeau will make major changes on his front bench next week to stand in the fight against the vote on 21 October.

In the age of growing cynicism about politics, Brison is passionate about his ability to change people's lives.

"Now, more than ever, I believe that the government is important that Members are important and that politics is important. There is no place to work where we could do more for the difference in people's lives, "he said.

So why do you want to get out of the political struggle that he so obviously loves? He offered three reasons.

"They say life begins at 50. Well, I am 51 years old and I'm ready for new challenges," he said, adding that he is likely to return to a business where he once worked as an investment banker.

In addition, he said he wants to leave when he is at the top of his political career, without waiting for him to be taken "into a body bag or airborne from the ground".
Above all, he said that the decision – and that it was accepted together – with his family, husband Maxime St. Pierre and their four-year-old daughters, Rose and Claire.

"I think that Max and Rose and Claire think they are miracles."

Brison was the first Canadian minister to openly gay, and the first federal politician who married a same-sex partner. But homosexuality in Canada was not just two years after birth.

"I spent the first two years of my life for the life of crime," he said.

But Brison became emotionally concerned about the transformation of gay rights as the Charter of Rights and Freedoms in the Canadian constitution in 1982 and their role in further discussions that led to the equality of same-sex couples.

"When I realized that I was gay when I completely agreed that I was gay, I thought that my life, I think, would be very compromised," Brison said, his voice hunting as he tried to keep his tears .

"I thought that accepting the fact that I am gay meant, among other things, that I would never be able to enter public life or successfully accomplish the things I wanted. I thought it would mean that I would never have a spouse or children.

"I am very happy to be part of a changing history … at a time when these decisions were made, which actually made a difference, not only in the lives of Canadians in general, but directly affecting my life."

And these decisions, he emphasized, they shaped the politicians, emphasizing their belief that "politics can concern, government affairs, governance issues and good people can change a lot in public life."

Brison believes that he was able to make a difference in each of the seven mandates given to him by the people of Kings-Hants, whether it be an opposition deputy in "nosed crises" in the lower house or on the front. in the government of Paul Martin and now Trudeau.

He declined his decision to abandon politics in any way related to the current controversy concerning his role in the abolition of Deputy Prime Minister Mark Norman, another military deputy who was accused of leaking the mystery of the government. Brison is expected to become the greatest witness when he comes to court in August – a few weeks before the official start of this year's election campaign.

"If this issue never happened, I would have made the same decision I am now taking," he said and refused further discussions on the issues that are now in the court.

Brison admitted that in 2015 he pressed the newly established Trudeau government to stop US $ 700 million to build a new supply ship, which, according to the RCMP, prompted Norman to hide in the Davis Shipbuilding Quebec ship so that the Liberals restarted. project.

However, he told the lower house to simply carry out his work as chairman of the finance committee, the custodian of the public treasury, to ensure that taxpayers get good value for the ship's contract.

Brison also denied the allegations made by Norman's lawyer and was warned by opposition MPs that he had lobbied on behalf of the Halifaxs Irving Shipbuilding, who wanted Liberians to cancel Davie's business and instead recruit Irving to ship the ship.