Candice Bergen, former interim Conservative leader, resigns from Parliament

OTTAWA-Candice Bergen, the Conservative party's former interim leader, is stepping down as a member of Parliament.

Bergen broke the news to her fellow Tory MPs during their weekly caucus meeting on Wednesday morning, saying she has submitted her letter of resignation from representing the Manitoba riding of Portage-Lisgar.

In a video posted online, she thanked her staff and family as well as her political rivals, saying she was proud of the work they all do in Parliament.

Bergen said she leaves the job feeling hopeful and re-energized about her own future and that of the Conservative party.

I believe that the best is yet to come," she said.

Her announcement came nearly a year to the day that she took on the interim leader's job after an internal party coup led to the ouster of then-leader Erin O'Toole.

Bergen, 58, was first elected to Parliament in 2008, just as the Conservatives were starting their second term as a minority government.

She ascended the ranks of government and, among other things, was chosen by then-prime minister Stephen Harper to shepherd the Conservatives' marquee promise to end the long-gun registry.

When the Tories lost the 2015 election, she moved into the party's senior management ranks, becoming House leader under both interim leader Rona Ambrose and the party's next leader, Andrew Scheer.

When O'Toole replaced Scheer, he appointed Bergen as deputy party leader.

Bergen made headlines as a massive demonstration snarled downtown Ottawa last winter when she was photographed having dinner with some protesters at a restaurant near Parliament Hill.

She had initially supported the faction of protesters who said the focus of their anger was on the requirement for cross-border truckers to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

After she became interim leader, and as the so-called Freedom Convoy" protest dragged on, Bergen eventually said publicly she thought it was time for trucker blockades to end.

During the public order inquiry commission last year, evidence also emerged that she and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau had directly discussed the issue, although each characterized the conversation differently.

Bergen used her time as interim leader to try to rebuild a caucus shattered by the furor over O'Toole, saying in an interview with the Star last year that she saw herself as first among equals.

Her goal, she said at the time, was to send a message that the Tories needed to stop defining themselves as red or blue, and all work together for a common cause.

Her work came to an end on Sept. 10 with Pierre Poilievre's runaway victory in the party's leadership race.

She announced just ahead of the leadership vote that she wouldn't run in the next general election, but had not yet decided on when she would step down as a member of Parliament.

I'm choosing to leave now not because I'm tired or I've run out of steam - in fact, it's the exact opposite," she said in the video.

I feel hopeful and re-energized, hopeful for our strong and united Conservative party and our caucus under the courageous and principled leadership of my friend Pierre Poilievre."

Although her riding has been a Conservative stronghold for decades, Bergen saw her share of the ballots plunge in the 2021 federal election as voters swung to the upstart right-wing People's Party of Canada.

She ended up winning with just 52 per cent of the vote, compared to 70 per cent in the 2019 campaign.

The jockeying to be her replacement has already begun.

Last week, her province's finance minister said he was stepping down from his post to seek the nomination in the riding. Branden Leslie, who managed Bergen's 2019 campaign, has also said he'll run.

Bergen is the third Conservative MP to step down in recent weeks.

Two others - Bob Benzen and Dave MacKenzie - announced their retirements late last year.

Both of their ridings are also considered safe seats for the Conservatives.

With files from The Canadian Press

Stephanie Levitz is an Ottawa-based reporter covering federal politics for the Star. Follow her on Twitter: @StephanieLevitz