Trade Minister Ng, Justice Minister Virani won’t run in next election

By Canadian Press on February 10, 2025.

OTTAWA — Trade Minister Mary Ng and Justice Minister Arif Virani are the latest federal cabinet ministers to announce they’re not running again in the next election.

In a social media post Monday, Virani said that life in politics has taken a tough toll on his family.

The Toronto-area MP said he made his decision after doing “considerable soul searching” over the past several weeks.

Ng posted a letter on social media that cites a long list of achievements but does not explain exactly why she is not running again.

In that letter, Ng says she fears the spread of online disinformation is discouraging qualified candidates from running for public office.

More than a dozen Liberal cabinet ministers — including Sean Fraser, Harjit Sajjan and Seamus O’Regan — have now decided against running in the coming federal election.

Virani was first elected in 2015 in the big wave that swept Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals into office. He was promoted to cabinet to become the minister of justice in July 2023.

In April 2024, Virani spoke out against a pro-Palestinian protest that was staged outside his home, saying they crossed a line by targeting his family.

Ng was elected in a byelection in 2017 in the Greater Toronto Area riding of Markham-Thornhill and was appointed to cabinet just over a year later.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 10, 2025.

Kyle Duggan, The Canadian Press