Former minister Bill Blair appointed to diplomatic post, resigns as MP

Former Liberal cabinet minister Bill Blair resigned as an MP on Monday after the Prime Minister’s Office announced that he will be Canada’s next high commissioner to the U.K.

“It has been an honour to be your voice in Parliament for the last decade, and to work for all Canadians to build safer communities, protect our sovereignty and shape a better future,” Blair said in a post on said on X.

“I’m deeply grateful for this chapter and I look forward to continuing to serve Canada and Canadians in this new capacity.”

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) news release said Blair is bringing his “four decades of experience serving Canadians and protecting their security” to the role.

The PMO also announced that Nathalie Drouin, who has been serving as the deputy clerk of the Privy Council and national security adviser to the prime minister, has been appointed Canada’s next ambassador to France.

Both appointments will take effect “this spring,” the release said.

“As Canada forges new partnerships with the United Kingdom and France across trade, investment and defence, we will work together to strengthen the multilateral system and create greater certainty, stability, security and prosperity on both sides of the Atlantic,” the release said.

Blair, a former Toronto police chief, was first elected as an MP in 2015 and held a number of cabinet positions — most notably as defence minister — under former prime minister Justin Trudeau.

The Toronto MP held onto the defence portfolio after Prime Minister Mark Carney was sworn in, but was shuffled to the back benches after April’s election.

Blair was appointed defence minister in the summer of 2023 and oversaw an updated defence policy in 2024. Much of his tenure was dominated by efforts to support Ukraine with donations of military equipment and training as it fought off a full-scale Russian invasion.

Finance Minister François-Philippe Champagne described his former cabinet colleague as “someone with an aura.”

“I think he will have the right profile to position Canada in the United Kingdom at a very critical moment in our relationship,” Champagne said.

Blair was previously minister of public safety, most notably during the winter 2022 “Freedom Convoy” protests. He testified at the Public Order Emergency Commission looking at the government’s use of the Emergencies Act during the protests.

The commission found that the government’s decision was justified, but the Federal Court of Appeal recently upheld a ruling that there were no reasonable grounds to invoke the act.

Current Public Safety Minister Gary Anandasangaree said Blair has offered “great advice” both as a minister and MP.

“Bill listens more than he speaks,” Anandasangaree said.

“His role [as high commissioner] will be quite important in such a crucial time in our history.”

Blair is the second Trudeau-era minister to resign this year after former deputy prime minister Chrystia Freeland left her seat in January.

WATCH | What comes next for Chrystia Freeland’s riding?:

What comes next for Chrystia Freeland’s riding after she steps down

One of Toronto’s downtown ridings will need a new representative in Ottawa after Chrystia Freeland steps down as a member of Parliament. CBC’s Lane Harrison has more on what comes next.

It had previously been reported that Blair was expected to resign and take on a diplomatic post and Carney had indicated there would be “a few byelections” in the coming months — even though Freeland’s seat was the only vacancy when he made those comments.

Blair’s resignation means the Liberal government, just one seat shy of a majority before the holidays, is now short a second MP for the time being.

Both Blair and Freeland’s Toronto ridings are fairly safe Liberal seats, but a byelection needs to be called for both.

Once an MP gives notice to the Speaker of the House of Commons that they’ve resigned their seat, the Speaker has to notify the chief electoral officer that a seat is vacant. Once that notice has been given the government would have 11 to 180 days to call a byelection.

The government will have to wait the 11-day minimum before calling a byelection for Blair’s former riding of Scarborough Southwest. Freeland’s seat has been officially vacant for a few weeks, but the government has yet to call a byelection for her riding.

Byelection campaigns last a minimum of 36 days.

Like Blair, Drouin testified before the inquiry exploring the use of the Emergencies Act. She also appeared before the inquiry into foreign electoral interference that ended a year ago.

In 2019, Drouin testified to the House justice committee as it studied the SNC-Lavalin affair, during which she was the civilian head of the federal Justice Department. She previously held roles in the Quebec civil service.