Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
OTTAWA--Canadian Industry Minister James Moore announced on Friday that he would leave politics, the third surprise departure from Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet as the ruling Conservatives head for an October election trailing in the opinion polls.
Citing personal reasons, including "some difficult news" about the health of his disabled son, Moore said he would not run for re-election, but believes Harper and his nine-year-old right-leaning government would prevail.
"I have every confidence that Prime Minister Harper and our Conservative government will be re-elected, and I wish I could be part of the next Conservative government," Moore said in a Facebook posting.
"With health challenges in my family, I have concluded it is impossible for me to seek another term in office," Moore said.
Opinion polls show Harper's government has slipped behind the left-leaning New Democratic Party in a tight three-way race just four months before the national vote. The departure of Moore, 39, prompted tweets about rats leaving a sinking ship. Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird resigned unexpectedly in February, while Justice Minister Peter MacKay, 49, announced his resignation in May.
"One departure unto itself is not an issue," pollster Nik Nanos said. "But when you see a number of departures of senior cabinet ministers ... it basically raises eyebrows in the electorate, because people wonder, Why are all these senior members of the Harper team not running?"
Liberal Member of Parliament Irwin Cotler said the string of departures will hurt the Conservatives. "These are not only senior ministers, but they played important roles in political campaigns. They're respected people," Cotler told reporters.
Moore, despite his relatively young age, was considered a Conservative heavyweight and is the senior minister in the Pacific Coast province of British Columbia, where the party is in a tight three-way battle. He was just 24 when he won his seat in 2000, the youngest member of parliament ever elected there. Moore had also been seen as a potential contender for the leadership of the party once Harper, 56, leaves.
