OTTAWA ā Long-time Conservative MP Gerry Ritz is leaving federal politics, and has no plans to run politically in the future, snuffing out any speculation that his Commons departure was to make way for a run at leader of the Saskatchewan Party.
In a statement posted to his Twitter account Thursday morning, Ritz said he is not returning to his seat in the House of Commons this fall, and in an interview with Ā鶹“«Ć½ he said after more than twenty years of public life, he has no plans to run for political office again.
āI think Iām done,ā said Ritz, who has been the MP for Battlefords-Lloydminster, Sask., for 20 years and spent some time before that as a political staffer.
Despite a hard ānoā when asked if he wasgoing after outgoing Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wallās job, Ritz says heās still looking at āother opportunitiesā that could arise.
While Ritz said he hasnāt set anything up to fall back on, he plans to stay politically connected behind the scenes, and tuned in to Canadaās ongoing trade negotiations.
Ā鶹“«Ć½ first reported Wednesday night that Ritz was set to resign and overnight political observers speculated whether he was positioning himself to run for the leadership of the Saskatchewan Party. Premier Brad Wall announced earlier this month that he is stepping away from politics after 10 years as premier.
There are now five people running to replace him as leader of the Saskatchewan Party. The candidate nomination filing deadline is Nov. 24.
Resignation in the works for months
First elected as Reform Party MP in 1997, Ritz became minister of Agriculture and Agri-Food in 2007 under then-prime minister Stephen Harper, and held that cabinet post until the Liberals formed government in 2015.
During his time in cabinet Ritz was tasked with revamping the Canadian Wheat Board. His work on this was a career highlight, he said.
Although, he acknowledges that his tenure wasnāt without political missteps.
āThe things I shouldnāt have said. Thatās a pretty long list depending on who you talk to,ā said Ritz.
Amid a listeriosis outbreak that killed 22 people in 2008, Ritz came under fire for remarking that the political blowback over the matter was "like a death by a thousand cuts. Or should I say cold cuts."
This Parliament he was also criticized for remarking that Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland, who was at the time trade minister, required āadult supervisionā when it came to the Canada-EU trade talks.
But, Ritz, who has been openly critical about how the current Liberal governmentās handling of the trade file, doesnāt regret saying it. āYou wear it like a cape and move on,ā he said.
Since the Conservatives have been in opposition, Ritz had been international trade critic, a position Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer gave to Ontario MP Dean Allison when he unveiled his critic roster Wednesday.
This had nothing to do with his decision to step down, Ritz says. He told Ā鶹“«Ć½ that he and his wife Judy began planning his departure near the end of the spring sitting of Parliament, and when Scheer approached him a few weeks ago about what critic portfolio heād be interested in, he thought it was a good time to let the ānew playersā in the caucus have a chance to move forward.
āAnd I said, āyou know Andrew, it might be the time for me to pick none of the aboveā and step aside,ā said Ritz, who says heās supportive of the direction Scheer is taking the party.
āPolitics again is an ebb and a flow. You have to bring people in to the tentā¦ itās all about the size and scope of what youāre doing, what youāre moving forward on but you have to be honest and it has to be truthful. You actually have to be talking about what youāre going to do as government,ā Ritz said.
Wants more time with family, community
As for whatās next, Ritz said he looks forward to spending more time at home with his family. He has a grandson who is celebrating his tenth birthday on Sunday and Ritz said that heās looking forward to being there.
āMy wife has a honey-do list that will probably take three years if I really hurry,ā he said.
While he wonāt be taking his seat in the Commons again, the exact date his seat will be vacant, prompting a byelection, is still up in the air.
Heās not sure yet who is interested in running to succeed him, but Ritz said heāll be around and open to helping future campaigns in a non-official way to ensure the riding stays Conservative.
In his statement, Ritz thanked his constituents for their two decades of support, and thanked his House and Senate colleagues, as well as the staff and public servants he worked with over the years.
STATEMENT: Today I am announcing my intent to resign as the Member of Parliament for Battlefords-Lloydminster.
ā Gerry Ritz (@GerryRitzMP)
