Former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada David Lametti announced his resignation as a Liberal Member of Parliament Thursday.
The Montreal MP resigned just three days after Federal Court Justice Richard Mosley ruled Tuesday that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was unjustified in invoking the Emergencies Act against the Freedom Convoy protest and that it was "unreasonable" to do so.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau moved Lametti to the back bench in a summer cabinet shuffle that saw the high-profile minister replaced by current Justice Minister Arif Virani.
Lametti played a key role in the decision to invoke the Emergencies Act against the trucker protest, pushing to do so early in the confrontation.
Lemetti backed Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland's decision to freeze the bank accounts of protesters and even supporters who donated money to the cause. He even compared the Freedom Convoy to a terrorist organization and said it was his job to stop Canadians from advocating "pro-Trump" politics.
At the height of the Freedom Convoy protest, Lametti was texting then-Public Safety Minister Marco Mendincino about how many Canadian Army tanks it would require to suppress the demonstrators.
In an interview airing Saturday on CBC, Lametti continued to defend using the Emergencies Act and said he rejected the federal court ruling.
"I disagree with the decision. I disagree with [Justice Richard Mosley's] analysis and I disagree with his framing of the issue and his treatment of the facts," Lametti told host Catherine Cullen.
"I'm pretty confident this decision will be overturned on appeal."
Lametti's resignation will take effect at the end of January. He made the announcement at a Liberal caucus retreat in Ottawa.
In a statement posted on X, Lametti said he is leaving politics with "mixed emotions" but that it was time for a change.
Lametti entered the House of Commons in 2015 when Trudeau was first elected prime minister. He was appointed as justice minister and attorney general in 2019.
"It is with some sadness that I am leaving a dream job. Since the changes made to cabinet in the summer of 2023, I have continued to do my best to fulfill my duties as a member of Parliament," he said.
"This period has been challenging personally, as one might imagine, and I sincerely believe that after eight intense years, constituents of LaSalle-Emard-Verdun—and I am one of them—would benefit from a change of voice and style."
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