Calgary Heritage MP Bob Benzen to ring in new year with return to private life
Calgary Heritage’s Member of Parliament is retiring from the role at the end of the year.
Bob Benzen announced via social media and a release to news outlets on Thursday that he intends to step away from the House of Commons as of Dec. 31.
He said while it has been an honour and a privilege to represent the riding’s constituents, it was never his intention to become a career politician.
“When I first announced my intention to seek the Conservative Party nomination in Calgary Heritage in 2016, our party was struggling following a national election loss,” Benzen said.
“As I prepare to leave today, there is no question that our party is rejuvenated and ready to lead Canada once again. Pierre Poilievre will be our next Prime Minister and we can count on him to safeguard our freedoms and restore prosperity.
“Mr. Poilievre's strong leadership gives me confidence that now is the right time to ‘hand off the baton’ as the Conservatives prepare to form the next government.”
Benzen said he is looking forward to his return to private business and family life, and thanks those who have supported him, his constituents included.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.