Stripped of his ministry, David Lametti will stand for re-election

Former Minister of Justice and Liberal MP for LaSalle–Émard–Verdun, David Lametti

Despite his expulsion from Cabinet, the former Minister of Justice, David Lametti, plans to run for the riding of LaSalle–Émard–Verdun in the next federal election.

Mr. Lametti is one of seven ministers to lose his limo on Wednesday, in the wake of the biggest cabinet reshuffle of Justin Trudeau's reign. Neither David Lametti nor Prime Minister Trudeau has spoken on the motives behind his expulsion from the cabinet.

“Now that the dust has settled […], there is much speculation regarding my future as MNA for LaSalle–Émard–Verdun. I want to reassure my constituents that I intend to remain your MP and continue to serve you in the House of Commons,” he said Thursday morning in a statement posted on social media.

This brief message followed another statement issued yesterday, on the announcement of his departure from Cabinet Trudeau. David Lametti thanked the Prime Minister for having entrusted him with the Ministry of Justice, “the greatest privilege of [his] life”.

The former minister also highlighted four of the thirteen bills which he led as minister: C-4, which prohibits conversion therapy; C-5 which repeals certain mandatory minimum sentences; C-15, to implement the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and C-28, abolishing the defense of extreme willful intoxication.

“For me, these numbers represent progress,” he asserted.

Furthermore, the former professor at McGill University's Faculty of Law praised reaching out to “communities that feel left out” of the justice system — Indigenous peoples, black and racialized communities — to restore a bond of trust.

David Lametti refused Métro's interview request.