Environment minister announces he’s leaving politics

Jim Prentice is resigning from Stephen Harper’s cabinet to take a top post at CIBC.

Prentice made the surprise announcement yesterday in the House of Commons, leaving the opposition and media to speculate on why the highly regarded minister would leave government in the middle of his term. Once believed to be Harper’s rival for the leadership of the Conservative Party, Prentice was one of the few moderates left in a party that has shifted considerably to the right on social issues. Some observers speculate that he’s taking cover in the private sector to avoid being tarnished by any decline in the Conservatives’ fortunes, and could return to take the reigns of the party once Harper leaves. Prentice insisted however that his time in politics is done.