Latest news with #Erskine-Smith
Hamilton Spectator
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
If Nate Erskine-Smith has become a political punchline, he's only got himself to blame
Politics can be a blood sport, which is why most politicians learn to roll with the punches. Not Nate Erskine-Smith, who has become a punchline in the halls of power. People are always taking shots at politicians. But when they're laughing at you, it hurts. Erskine-Smith has been the butt of jokes ever since being booted from the federal cabinet this month. To be clear, there is no dishonour in being dropped, but when he complained about feeling 'disrespected,' it became all about him. 'The way it played out doesn't sit right and it's impossible not to feel disrespected,' he posted on social media and in a bloviating blog. By playing the victim in his own political game, the Beaches—East York MP scored an 'own goal.' Yet he was hardly alone in being bounced from cabinet. The Liberals elected 170 MPs in last month's election, including many promising new arrivals competing for the two or three dozen spots available in any cabinet. Few are called to serve — and any can be culled at any time. Even the most deserving ministers serve at the pleasure of the crown. They serve the people, not themselves. More than a mere blood sport, politics is a team sport. That's why so many Canadians were bemused by his mewling — everyone understands that a soccer or hockey coach has to cut players, because the team needs the right mix of defenders and wingers. In total, 10 ministers were dropped by Prime Minister Mark Carney this time. Several more didn't make it into Carney's short-lived March cabinet. None griped. All were gracious. None dissented or felt disrespected. All departed with dignity. Only Erskine-Smith felt entitled about his title in cabinet. 'I ran again because of the opportunity to make an even bigger difference around the cabinet table and to help fix the housing crisis,' the former housing minister complained bitterly By his logic, any other Liberal backbenchers who didn't make it into cabinet were equally 'disrespected.' Yet Erskine-Smith never complained about the cruelty of the cut when he cheerfully accepted a ministerial appointment in the dying days of Justin Trudeau's government late last year. Until then, the Beaches backbencher had made the most of being passed over for cabinet in his first 10 years as an MP. He remade himself into the voice of the Liberal grassroots, a maverick in his own mind. And yet, when Trudeau ultimately fell out of favour with the party rank and file — after Erskine-Smith had already announced his retirement from politics — he suddenly made his peace with Trudeau. Belatedly offered the ministerial post he'd long coveted, just in time for Christmas last year, Erskine-Smith trampled on the grassroots on his way into the cabinet room, cheerfully reversing his announced retirement. So why did Carney drop him from cabinet after just a few months on the job? After all, Erskine-Smith insists he was poised to single-handedly solve Canada's housing crisis. But he has long suffered from the insufferable trait of acting like the smartest man in the room, which can be a career-limiting move if you're outsmarted by a boss who is widely deemed the smartest guy in the room. Also, when Erskine-Smith touts his Oxford education, it may not impress a prime minister who made his mark at Oxford. Erskine-Smith's liabilities became apparent in 2023, when he took time off from his all-important duties as an MP to run for the Ontario Liberal leadership. After finishing second to Bonnie Crombie — and dissing her along the way — he retreated to Ottawa without making much of a contribution to the provincial election effort, as he'd once promised. Having burned bridges with both federal and provincial Liberals, will he still try to find cracks in Crombie's leadership in a bid to replace her? It's hard to imagine the Ontario Liberals opting for an outsider without a safe provincial seat, given the perils faced by high-profile party leaders of late. In any case, Erskine-Smith 'is really hurting right now, so let's leave it at that,' Crombie said in a tone of icy mockery last week after his public self-immolation. All that said, his legacy after a limited run of less than five months in cabinet suggests he's more about hubris than humility. When his post-cabinet temper tantrum played out poorly, Erskine-Smith did what he does best — blaming everyone else, or at least 'those who only read a headline,' for misinterpreting his musings. 'It was a tweet in a thread and should be read in the context of the thread. Or read in bad faith. Your choice,' the MP lectured his critics on social media. They say it's never a bad thing when people are talking about you, or taking shots at you, as long as they spell your name correctly. But when they're laughing about you and your choice of words, that's a lot less fun.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Expecting to remain in cabinet, Toronto MP dumped stock portfolio
OTTAWA – Taking a gamble on remaining a cabinet minister didn't pay off for one Toronto MP. Recently-released ethics filings show Beaches-East York MP and former housing minister Nathaniel Erskine-Smith – expecting he'd be among Liberal members named to cabinet by Prime Minister Mark Carney – dumped his portfolio of stocks just days before this week's cabinet announcement in anticipation of remaining a minister. That call, however, never came. First reported by Blacklock's Reporter, the May 1 ethics commissioner filing made public on Thursday showed Erskine-Smith divested his portfolio to comply with Canadian conflict of interest rules. Under the Conflict of Interest Act, reporting public office holders – a group of politicians that includes cabinet ministers – must sell or put into trust any publicly-traded securities, commodities and stock options within 120 days of their appointment. 'Concerning' cabinet picks do not bode well for national unity, pundits say Carney's cabinet picks suggest strong ties to Trudeau-era policies: Poilievre Taxpayers group calls on PM Carney to table 2025 budget First elected in 2015, Erskine-Smith spent much of his political career as a backbencher until he was named housing minister in December, prompting him to reverse his decision earlier in 2024 to not seek re-election. Erskine-Smith, who only spent 20 weeks in his role, was one of several Trudeau-era cabinet ministers left out of Carney's cabinet – alongside Karina Gould, Jonathan Wilkinson and Bill Blair. 'It's impossible not to feel disrespected and the way it played out doesn't sit right,' Erskine-Smith wrote in a statement earlier this week, adding he's disappointed he and his team 'won't have the chance to build on all we accomplished.' bpassifiume@ X: @bryanpassifiume
Toronto Star
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Shunned by Mark Carney, Toronto MP says ‘it's impossible not to feel disrespected'
OTTAWA—Toronto MP and former housing minister Nate Erskine-Smith says 'it's impossible not to feel disrespected' after Prime Minister Mark Carney removed him from cabinet. 'I ran again because of the opportunity to make an even bigger difference around the cabinet table and to help fix the housing crisis,' the Beaches—East York MP said in a post on X. 'The way it played out doesn't sit right and it's impossible not to feel disrespected. 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.' The 10-year MP, who had previously said he would not run again in this election and came second to Bonnie Crombie in the 2023 Ontario Liberal leadership race, was promoted to cabinet in December in one of Justin Trudeau's final moves as prime minister. When Carney became Liberal leader and prime minister in March, he kept Erskine-Smith in cabinet. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW But on Tuesday, Erskine-Smith was one of three Toronto MPs removed from Carney's front-bench in a major overhaul that introduced many new faces but maintained the tradition of having a significant GTA representation in the federal cabinet. Overall, Carney's first cabinet since the election includes nine ministers from Toronto and the GTA, with five new faces, including former broadcaster and friend of Carney Evan Solomon, the rookie Toronto Centre MP who is now Canada's first ever minister of artificial intelligence. Federal Politics Live chat: The Conservative party, Carney's cabinet and politics in 2025 Star staff Reached by the Star, Erskine-Smith would not comment further. But in his social media posts, the MP long known as an outspoken parliamentarian on the more progressive side of the Liberal party, said 'you never know what the future holds.' 'But for now, I'll be working hard for my neighbours here in Beaches—East York, restarting the Uncommons podcast, and returning to Parliament with a renewed sense of freedom,' he said. Bill Blair, the MP for Scarborough West who was the chief of the Toronto Police Service for 10 years before entering federal politics in 2015, and Willowdale's Ali Ehsassi, who was a minister for a brief stint since March, were also removed from Carney's cabinet Tuesday. Blair has held several ministerial roles since 2018, including public safety and national defence. And the Liberals spent thousands of dollars on ads narrated by Blair in the final weeks of the election highlighting their gun-control agenda and their approach to tackling rising crime. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW Carney has named public safety, long a Conservative attacking point, as one of the Liberals' key priorities next to the Canada-U.S. relationship and addressing the cost of living, and even appointed Brampton North—Caledon's Ruby Sahota as a secretary of state focused on combating crime on Tuesday. The issue has been a significant concern in suburban ridings in the Toronto area and Liberal minister Kamal Khera lost her Brampton West seat in an election campaign where her opponent, Conservative Amarjeet Gill focused heavily on crime. Gta 'The most honest reflection of the country': Inside the 905 — the ridings that helped deny Mark Carney a majority Noor Javed, David Rider, Raju Mudhar Three of the 10 secretaries of state appointed Tuesday are also from Toronto and the GTA. Here are the ministers from the GTA: Shafqat Ali (Brampton—Chinguacousy Park), president of the Treasury Board Anita Anand (Oakville East), minister of foreign affairs Gary Anandasangaree (Scarborough—Guildwood–Rouge Park), minister of public safety Julie Dabrusin (Toronto—Danforth), minister of environment and climate change Chrystia Freeland (University—Rosedale), minister of transport and internal trade Tim Hodgson (Markham—Thornhill), minister of energy and natural resources Maninder Sidhu (Brampton East), minister of international trade Evan Solomon (Toronto Centre), minister of artificial intelligence and digital innovation and minister responsible for the federal economic development agency for southern Ontario Rechie Valdez (Mississauga—Streetsville), minister of women and gender equality and secretary of state for small business and tourism Here are the secretaries of state from the GTA: Ruby Sahota (Brampton North—Caledon), combating crime Adam van Koeverden (Burlington North—Milton West), sport John Zerucelli (Etobicoke North), labour Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Toronto Star
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Star
Erskine-Smith says he feels ‘disrespected' after being dropped from cabinet
OTTAWA - 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. ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW 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. This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 13, 2025. Politics Headlines Newsletter Get the latest news and unmatched insights in your inbox every evening Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. Please enter a valid email address. Sign Up Yes, I'd also like to receive customized content suggestions and promotional messages from the Star. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Politics Headlines Newsletter You're signed up! You'll start getting Politics Headlines in your inbox soon. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page.
Toronto Sun
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Toronto Sun
Nate Erskine-Smith says he feels 'disrespected' after being dropped from cabinet
Published May 13, 2025 • 1 minute read Housing Minister Nate Erskine-Smith Photo by DEREK BALDWIN / Postmedia Network files OTTAWA — Former housing minister Nate Erskine-Smith says it's 'impossible not to feel disrespected' after being dropped from cabinet. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account 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. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. 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. Toronto Maple Leafs Editorials NHL World Toronto & GTA
