Public Safety Minister Vic Toews resigns ahead of cabinet shuffle

Above: Public Safety Minister Vic Toews was a guest on a local radio station in Winnipeg, and discussed his surprising decision to walk away from politics Monday.

TORONTO — Public Safety Minister Vic Toews announced his resignation on Monday ahead of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s summer cabinet shuffle.

In a statement he says he’s stepping down as both minister and MP for Provencher, Manitoba effective Tuesday in to focus on his family and pursue opportunities in the private sector.

“It takes a great deal of deliberation on the part of those who decide to enter politics,” said Toews in a statement. “It takes an even greater amount of consideration and effort to step out of office when one still enjoys the support of those who elected them. However, for me, the time has come to step aside and begin the next chapter of my life.”

Toews’ long-rumoured eagerness to grab a federal judicial appointment could be a deciding factor in his departure. In June, the National Post reported that Harper was not comfortable appointing Toews directly from cabinet.

As justice critic in 2005, Toews was an outspoken opponent of a bill which made sexual orientation a category in hate crime legislation, arguing that is could restrict freedom of religion and expression. Toews also opposed gay marriage, suggesting that it would lead to the legalisation of polygamy — a policy view that was muffled by Harper after he was appointed as justice minister in 2006.

During his brief stint with the justice portfolio, Toews earned a reputation for having a flair for the punitive – he introduced a mandatory minimum sentence bill and the three strikes bill, labelling three-time criminals as dangerous offenders and jailing them indefinitely. He was also at the helm of scraping the long gun registry and raising the age of consent from 14 to 16 years of age.

“I am proud of the achievements of our government over the last seven years. In addition to the numerous steps we have taken to rebalance the criminal justice system to ensure that criminals are held accountable to individual victims and Canadian society as a whole, we were able to renew Canada’s physical infrastructure,” said Toews.

Toews was shuffled to the Treasury Board the following year in what some argued was a move to soften the Conservative Party’s image. In 2010, he was switched to the Public Safety portfolio.

Toews drew the ire of some Canadians last year when he compared a Liberal MP’s opposition to the government’s Internet surveillance bill to siding with pedophiles. During question period Toews’s told Liberal public safety critic Francis Scarpaleggia he could “either stand with us or with the child pornographers.”

The comment sparked an anonymous Twitter account, Vikileaks, that published lurid details in Toews’ divorce file. The account was linked back to Liberal staffer Adam Carroll who promptly resigned. The bill was eventually dropped.

Toews will receive an $84,000 annual pension for his 12 years of service.

“Mr. Toews has been in politics for many years,” said NDP MP Charlie Angus in Parliament Monday. “I think unfortunately all too often we saw spite and short-sightedness instead of gravitas, I think that’s all I can say about Mr. Toews.”

Harper asked his ministers to decide if they were planning to stay on for the election in 2015 as he considers who will get seats in the next cabinet.

Toews joins a growing pack of Conservatives who are dropping out ahead of the shakeup, giving Harper’s government a makeover before the fall session.

After receiving a cancer diagnosis, fisheries minister Keith Ashfield asked if he could be excused from cabinet, but plans to keep his seat.

Last week, junior finance minister Ted Menzies bowed out of cabinet saying that he would like to spend more time at home assisting flood-stricken Albertans, but will be staying on as MP. Fellow Alberta MP, Diane Ablonczy, minister of State for foreign affairs, also said she is not planning to run again in the 2015 federal election.

Leader of the government in the Senate Marjory LeBreton announced she’s giving up her post last Thursday.

On Friday, Environment Minister Peter Kent said he is okay with the back bench if he gets shuffled out.