Canadian Finance Minister Bill Morneau has resigned.
Morneau said at a news conference Monday night that he is resigning from his position as both Canada’s finance minister and a Liberal Member of Parliament. Morneau, who has been Finance Minister since 2015, says he is putting his name forward as a candidate to lead the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
Morneau thanked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for the "life-changing" opportunity and said he’s confident the prime minister will make a "positive choice" for the next finance minister.
Earlier Monday, Trudeau and Morneau held a face-to-face meeting to discuss their working relationship. Last week, it was reported that Mark Carney, a former Bank of Canada and Bank of England governor, has been serving as an informal advisor to Trudeau on the COVID-19 economic recovery. Following this report, Trudeau declared "full confidence" in the finance minister.
For several weeks, opposition parties have been calling for Morneau’s resignation over allegations that he had a conflict of interest in the WE Charity affair. In his remarks Monday evening, Morneau said Trudeau did not ask him to resign. He also suggested the recent leaks and speculation about his relationship with the prime minister were par for the course as finance minister.
