Interim Conservative Leader Candice Bergen not seeking re-election

Interim Conservative leader Candice Bergen listens at a press conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Tuesday, June 7, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Patrick Doyle

Candice Bergen, the interim Leader of the Official Opposition and MP for Portage-Lisgar, will not be seeking re-election in the next general election.

Bergen made the announcement in a statement on Tuesday, saying that serving the constituents of Portage-Lisgar for 14 years has been the honour of her political life.

“The past 7 months serving as Leader of Her Majesty’s Loyal Opposition has been incredibly gratifying and rewarding,” the statement said.

“Seeing our caucus come together as a unified and strong opposition, and our party grow to over 678,000 members strong has shown me once again that the tried-and-true values and principles of respect of different viewpoints, trust in your team, and staying consistently Conservative is the path to success for our party and the country.”

Bergen noted that during her career she has served as parliamentary secretary, minister of state, and has chaired several committees.

Bergen said for the immediate future she remains committed to continuing to serve as MP for Portage-Lisgar, and that she will “wholeheartedly” be supporting whoever takes her place as Leader of the Conservative Party on Sept. 10.

“I’m incredibly optimistic about the future of the Conservative movement in Canada,” her statement said.

“When Conservatives are strong and united, Conservatives win.”