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Ottawa MP John Baird, the longest-serving foreign affairs minister Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s government has ever known, was poised to officially resign from cabinet Tuesday morning.
Baird won’t seek re-election in this fall’s federal campaign. His resignation from cabinet — and potential immediate departure from the Tory caucus — leaves a massive hole on the Conservative front bench just months before a federal election.
One of Harper’s most trusted political lieutenants, the tough-talking Baird was seen as one of the few ministers in cabinet who was able to speak with some autonomy.
But he also earned a bit of a reputation as a Mr. Fix It in cabinet and the Tory caucus, having served in several portfolios over the last nine years, including Treasury Board, Environment (on two different occasions), Transport and government House leader.
He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2006 election that saw Harper’s Conservatives win power — after serving in Mike Harris’s Ontario PC government — and was re-elected as MP in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections.
Baird will be able to collect his full parliamentary pension at age 55. Reforms to the MP pension plan passed in 2012 will see new MPs elected in the 2015 campaign wait until 65 to collect their full pension benefits, if they’ve served six years in the Commons.
However, current MPs who already have six years of service will be able to draw pension benefits at age 55 for whatever was earned up until the 2015 election. If they continue to serve in office, their pension benefits earned after that election would be paid out at age 65.
Baird, 45, is not leaving for any particular job, but has decided the time is right to seek private sector opportunities, a friend said Monday.
“He’s at the perfect age and in the perfect place to make a move,” said his friend, speaking on condition that he not be named.
“He took a look at the calendar and … if he left now, I think people just do their walk in the snow. I think what’s precipitated it is he’s been doing it for 20 years.”
This is a personal decision and has nothing to do with Baird’s assessment of the electoral prospects of the government, his friend said.
He doesn’t have a particular job lined up, but it is likely to look at private sector opportunities, perhaps in Toronto.
“He has spent his entire life as an elected official or a political staffer and at this point in his life, in his mid- to late-40s, now is the time for him to build another career,” his friend said.
“He’s had 10 portfolios, which is a lot by Canadian standards, so I think he just felt like personally for him it was time to go.”
International Trade Minister Ed Fast was poised to take over as acting foreign minister.
One Conservative cabinet minister said MPs learned of Baird’s expected resignation late Monday and that people within the Tory caucus were reeling from the news.
A third source close to the minister said late Monday night that it was “simply the right time to move on” for Baird.
Baird’s first cabinet role in 2006 was as President of the Treasury Board, when he was in charge of ushering in one of the Conservatives’ first major pieces of legislation, the Federal Accountability Act.
He served in that role until January 2007, when he became environment minister. In October 2008, he became minister of transport, a role he had until August 2010 when he became Government House Leader. He was appointed Foreign Affairs minister in May 2011.
Baird is also the minister responsible for the National Capital Commission. At a meeting with the Citizen editorial board in December, he said being minister responsible for the NCC was the only political job he ever wanted.
He also said, categorically, he was not interested in running for the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership. The deadline for that has already passed.
The departure of Baird, a high-profile and effective minister widely considered to be a good communicator, is a blow to the government. Along with the resignation of Jim Flaherty a month before his death last year, it means two of Harper’s most powerful ministers will have left Harper’s inner circle in less than a year.
It leaves the prime minister with the politically tricky task of shuffling his cabinet at a critical time in his mandate. The Tories are just months away from seeking re-election with voters expected to cast their ballots on Oct. 19.
In the meantime, the government must deal with the economic uncertainty of plummeting oil prices and a declining dollar.
On the international front, Canada is part of a military coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and the government recently tabled anti-terrorism legislation aimed at giving police and CSIS more powers.
As foreign affairs minister, Baird had been a key spokesman for the government on its Iraq policy.
His unexpected departure came as he was actively engaged in trying to convince Egypt to release Mohamed Fahmy from an Egyptian prison.
As a young man, Baird joined the Progressive Conservative youth wing and worked in the Parliament Hill office of cabinet minister Perrin Beatty.
– With files from Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
John Baird through the years.
John Baird’s political career
Born May 26 1969, in Nepean.
BA from Queen’s, 1992.
Provincial
1995 – 1999: MPP for the Ontario PCs in Nepean
1999- 2005: MPP for the Ontario PCs in Nepean-Carleton
Ministerial appointments
1999: Community and Social Services minister
2002: Energy Minister and Government House Leader
2003: Opposition critic for Finance, Culture, Francophone Affairs, Intergovernmental Affairs and Health.
Federal
2006-present: MP for Ottawa-West Nepean
President of the Treasury Board, February, 2006 to January 2007.
Minister of the Environment, January, 2007 to October, 2008
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, October, 2008 to August, 2010
Minister of the Environment, November, 2010 to January, 2011
Government House Leader, August, 2010 to May, 2011
Minister of Foreign Affairs, May, 2011 to present. Also appointed minister responsible for the NCC in 2011.
查看原文...
Baird won’t seek re-election in this fall’s federal campaign. His resignation from cabinet — and potential immediate departure from the Tory caucus — leaves a massive hole on the Conservative front bench just months before a federal election.
One of Harper’s most trusted political lieutenants, the tough-talking Baird was seen as one of the few ministers in cabinet who was able to speak with some autonomy.
But he also earned a bit of a reputation as a Mr. Fix It in cabinet and the Tory caucus, having served in several portfolios over the last nine years, including Treasury Board, Environment (on two different occasions), Transport and government House leader.
He was first elected to the House of Commons in the 2006 election that saw Harper’s Conservatives win power — after serving in Mike Harris’s Ontario PC government — and was re-elected as MP in the 2008 and 2011 federal elections.
Baird will be able to collect his full parliamentary pension at age 55. Reforms to the MP pension plan passed in 2012 will see new MPs elected in the 2015 campaign wait until 65 to collect their full pension benefits, if they’ve served six years in the Commons.
However, current MPs who already have six years of service will be able to draw pension benefits at age 55 for whatever was earned up until the 2015 election. If they continue to serve in office, their pension benefits earned after that election would be paid out at age 65.
Baird, 45, is not leaving for any particular job, but has decided the time is right to seek private sector opportunities, a friend said Monday.
“He’s at the perfect age and in the perfect place to make a move,” said his friend, speaking on condition that he not be named.
“He took a look at the calendar and … if he left now, I think people just do their walk in the snow. I think what’s precipitated it is he’s been doing it for 20 years.”
This is a personal decision and has nothing to do with Baird’s assessment of the electoral prospects of the government, his friend said.
He doesn’t have a particular job lined up, but it is likely to look at private sector opportunities, perhaps in Toronto.
“He has spent his entire life as an elected official or a political staffer and at this point in his life, in his mid- to late-40s, now is the time for him to build another career,” his friend said.
“He’s had 10 portfolios, which is a lot by Canadian standards, so I think he just felt like personally for him it was time to go.”
International Trade Minister Ed Fast was poised to take over as acting foreign minister.
One Conservative cabinet minister said MPs learned of Baird’s expected resignation late Monday and that people within the Tory caucus were reeling from the news.
A third source close to the minister said late Monday night that it was “simply the right time to move on” for Baird.
Baird’s first cabinet role in 2006 was as President of the Treasury Board, when he was in charge of ushering in one of the Conservatives’ first major pieces of legislation, the Federal Accountability Act.
He served in that role until January 2007, when he became environment minister. In October 2008, he became minister of transport, a role he had until August 2010 when he became Government House Leader. He was appointed Foreign Affairs minister in May 2011.
Baird is also the minister responsible for the National Capital Commission. At a meeting with the Citizen editorial board in December, he said being minister responsible for the NCC was the only political job he ever wanted.
He also said, categorically, he was not interested in running for the Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership. The deadline for that has already passed.
The departure of Baird, a high-profile and effective minister widely considered to be a good communicator, is a blow to the government. Along with the resignation of Jim Flaherty a month before his death last year, it means two of Harper’s most powerful ministers will have left Harper’s inner circle in less than a year.
It leaves the prime minister with the politically tricky task of shuffling his cabinet at a critical time in his mandate. The Tories are just months away from seeking re-election with voters expected to cast their ballots on Oct. 19.
In the meantime, the government must deal with the economic uncertainty of plummeting oil prices and a declining dollar.
On the international front, Canada is part of a military coalition fighting ISIL in Iraq and the government recently tabled anti-terrorism legislation aimed at giving police and CSIS more powers.
As foreign affairs minister, Baird had been a key spokesman for the government on its Iraq policy.
His unexpected departure came as he was actively engaged in trying to convince Egypt to release Mohamed Fahmy from an Egyptian prison.
As a young man, Baird joined the Progressive Conservative youth wing and worked in the Parliament Hill office of cabinet minister Perrin Beatty.
– With files from Mark Kennedy, Ottawa Citizen
-
2006: Conservative John Baird was looking very confident the night of the election, giving a thumbs up at his campaign headquarters, January 3, 2006.
Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen 
2015: U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, center, hugs Canadian Foreign Minister John Baird, left, and Mexican Foreign Secretary Jose Antonio Meade after a news conference at Faneuil Hall in Boston Saturday, Jan. 31, 2015.
Winslow Townson / AP
1998: Lowell Green delivers 16,000 petitions to MPP John Baird calling for elected hospital board, November 18, 1998.
John Major / Ottawa Citizen
1999: John Baird, left, and Jim Wilson, centre, take a tour of the Corel building with Michael Cowpland, November 2, 1999.
Chris Mikula / Ottawa Citizen
2003: Conservative incumbent John Baird shows a little exhaustion during an all-candidates meeting at Cedarhill Golf and Country Club on September 26, 2003.
Rod MacIvor / Ottawa Citizen
2000: Francophone affairs minister the Honorable John R. Baird at the 'Brunch des Elus' at the Cite Collegiale during a conference to urge Ottawa to declare itself a bilingual city, March 25, 2000.
Bruno Schlumberger / Ottawa Citizen
2006: The Boys from Barrhaven. MP's Pierre Poilievre, left, and John Baird on Parliament Hill, February 7, 2006.
Chris Mikula / The Ottawa Citizen
2006: The Hon. John Baird, signs the book after being sworn-in as President of the Treasury Board, February 6, 2006.
Jana Chytilova / Ottawa Citizen
2006: John Baird is congratulated by Stephen Harper after getting sworn in, February 6, 2006.
Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen
2006: John Baird shakes hands with Laureen Harper before taking the oath and getting sworn in, February 6, 2006.
Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen
Conservative John Baird checks his tie before having his picture taken at his campaign headquarters on the eve of the election, January 3, 2006.
Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen
2006: Conservative John Baird; and Liberal Lee Farnworth attend an editorial board meeting with other Ottawa West-Nepean candidates, January 3, 2006.
Rod MacIvor / Ottawa Citizen
2005: Conservative leader Stephen Harper attends an all-candidates event at John Baird's headquarters, November 29, 2005. After the event John Baird and Laureen Harper plan some campaigning with the help of Chris Froggatt.
Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen
2005: Conservative leader Stephen Harper attends an all-candidates event at John Baird's headquarters, November 29, 2005. After the event, John Baird and Laureen Harper, seen talking to Janet Dow, do some campaigning at a local coffee shop.
Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen
2005: John Baird celebrates with Pierre Poilievre, MP Nepean-Carleton, left, after winning the Ottawa West-Nepean nomination, May 5, 2005.
Nicki Corrigall / Ottawa Citizen
2004: John Baird helps launch Canadian Alliance leader Stephen Harper's campaign for the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada, January 12, 2004.
Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen
2003: PC MPP John Baird speaks at campaign headquarters after being re-elected to the riding of Nepean-Carleton, October 2, 2003.
Patrick Doyle / Ottawa Citizen
2002: Norm Sterling, right, announced with MPP John Baird, an additional $22M for the Queensway-Carleton Hospital, December 20, 2002.
Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen
2014: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Baird raised concerns with a Saudi prince about the flogging sentence handed down to a blogger with family in Quebec.
Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press
2006: Alex Munter and John Baird hold out their Birks' signature automatic watches which were awarded to the two for placing first (Baird) and second (Munter) in Ottawa Life Magazine's annual Top 50 people in the Capital, April 10, 2006. Birks donated watches to the top ten people in the Capital.
Tara Walton / Ottawa Citizen
2006: John Baird in the middle of a press scrum, April 11, 2006.
Bruno Schlumberger / Ottawa Citizen
2006: John Baird, MP Ottawa West-Nepean and President of the Treasury Board of Canada addresses the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce members at the "Capital Leaders" Lunch, April 24, 2006.
Ashley Fraser / Ottawa Citizen
2006: Jim Watson, left, M.P.P. Ottawa West-Nepean and Ministry of Health Promotion, and John Baird, M.P. for Ottawa West-Nepean, ran a booth in Carlingwood Mall to meet people and discuss the Federal Accountability Action Plan, April 28, 2006.
Ryan Jackson / Ottawa Citizen
2006: Treasury Board Minister Hon. John Baird reported that the $13B government surplus will go towards reducing the national debt, and that Canadian taxpayers can expect $1B in additional savings with "effective spending" and streamlining across all federal departments, September 25, 2006.
Mike Carroccetto / Ottawa Citizen-
2014: Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird holds a press conference at the National Press Theatre in Ottawa on Friday, Dec. 19, 2014. Baird raised concerns with a Saudi prince about the flogging sentence handed down to a blogger with family in Quebec.
Sean Kilpatrick / The Canadian Press -
2006: Alex Munter and John Baird hold out their Birks' signature automatic watches which were awarded to the two for placing first (Baird) and second (Munter) in Ottawa Life Magazine's annual Top 50 people in the Capital, April 10, 2006. Birks donated watches to the top ten people in the Capital.
Tara Walton / Ottawa Citizen -
2006: John Baird in the middle of a press scrum, April 11, 2006.
Bruno Schlumberger / Ottawa Citizen -
2006: John Baird, MP Ottawa West-Nepean and President of the Treasury Board of Canada addresses the Ottawa Chamber of Commerce members at the "Capital Leaders" Lunch, April 24, 2006.
Ashley Fraser / Ottawa Citizen -
2006: Jim Watson, left, M.P.P. Ottawa West-Nepean and Ministry of Health Promotion, and John Baird, M.P. for Ottawa West-Nepean, ran a booth in Carlingwood Mall to meet people and discuss the Federal Accountability Action Plan, April 28, 2006.
Ryan Jackson / Ottawa Citizen -
2006: Treasury Board Minister Hon. John Baird reported that the $13B government surplus will go towards reducing the national debt, and that Canadian taxpayers can expect $1B in additional savings with "effective spending" and streamlining across all federal departments, September 25, 2006.
Mike Carroccetto / Ottawa Citizen 
2006: Leonard Asper, President and CEO, CanWest Global Communications Corporation, left; Laureen Harper, wife of Prime Minister, Stephen Harper; and MP John Baird, President of the Treasury Board, hawk newspapers, during the 5th annual Raise-A-Reader, to raise money for children's literacy, September 28, 2006.
Jana Chytilova / Ottawa Citizen
2006: John Baird discusses progress of proposed Federal Accountability Act now before the Senate, November 1, 2006.
Pat McGrath / Ottawa Citizen
2006: Treasury Board president John Baird in his office in Ottawa, December 21, 2006.
Jean Levac / Ottawa Citizen
2007: John Baird taking the oath of office.
Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen
2007: Federal Enviroment minister John Baird visited Vancouver's Stanley Park with Mayor Sam Sullivan to have a first hand look at the recent damage done by the high winds, January 8, 2007.
Ward Perrin / Postmedia News
2007: Environment Minister John Baird (left) and Gary Lunn, Minister of Natural Resources, were on hand for an announcement at Natural Resources Canada's CANMET Energy Technology Centre to announce the Ecoenergy initiative which involves some $230 million in funding. They arrived at the facility located in the west end, on board hybrid fuel buses, January 17, 2007.
Wayne Cuddington / Ottawa Citizen
2007: Environment minister John Baird unveiled his "Turning the Corner" plan for pollution reduction, April 26, 2007.
Peter Redman / Postmedia News
2007: Environment Minister John Baird meets with the Ottawa Citizen Editorial Board, May 4, 2007.
Chris Mikula / Ottawa Citizen
2007: Minister John Baird announces at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, the withdrawal of over 10 million hectares of land near the East Arm of Great Slave Lake and around the Ramparts River and Wetlands, both in the Northwest Territories, November 21, 2007. The withdrawal represents one of the largest land conservation initiatives in Canadian history. (MARKETWIRE PHOTO/Parks Canada)
Patrick Doyle / CP
2007: North Shore MP Joe Comuzzi, left, walks the Nipigon Marina with Environment Minister John Baird and Prime Minister Stephen Harper after the federal government announced a National Marine Conservation Area for Lake Superior , October 25, 2007.
Jamie Smith / CanWest News Service
2008: Environment Minister John Baird, centre, points to Ottawa Police Chief Vernon White's superior lockmaster skills as the pair open the gates on the Rideau Canal at Hogs Back Lockstation, May 20, 2008. It was the official launch of the 176th season of uninterrupted service of the Rideau Canal and its first operating season as a World Heritage Site.
Julie Oliver / Ottawa Citizen
John Baird through the years.
John Baird’s political career
Born May 26 1969, in Nepean.
BA from Queen’s, 1992.
Provincial
1995 – 1999: MPP for the Ontario PCs in Nepean
1999- 2005: MPP for the Ontario PCs in Nepean-Carleton
Ministerial appointments
1999: Community and Social Services minister
2002: Energy Minister and Government House Leader
2003: Opposition critic for Finance, Culture, Francophone Affairs, Intergovernmental Affairs and Health.
Federal
2006-present: MP for Ottawa-West Nepean
President of the Treasury Board, February, 2006 to January 2007.
Minister of the Environment, January, 2007 to October, 2008
Minister of Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, October, 2008 to August, 2010
Minister of the Environment, November, 2010 to January, 2011
Government House Leader, August, 2010 to May, 2011
Minister of Foreign Affairs, May, 2011 to present. Also appointed minister responsible for the NCC in 2011.
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