Canada seeks fifth Foreign Minister in 30 months

CANADA: Foreign Minister David Emerson said on Wednesday he would not run in an election expected to be called on Sunday, leaving Canada to find its fifth Foreign Minister in a little over two and a half years.

Emerson, who had been in the job for just over two months, did not give a reason for deciding not to run again in the election, expected to be held Oct. 14. Friends say he is fed up with commuting more than 3,500 km (2,200 miles) between Ottawa and his Vancouver constituency on the Pacific Coast, where he has a young family.

Experts say the rapid turnover in the foreign ministry shows how marginalized the institution has become, with more and more important policy decisions coming from the office of the prime minister.

“Foreign Ministers here tend to be more subordinate to the Prime Minister than in other countries,” one senior diplomat told Reuters. “They are more of a political pawn.”

OTTAWA, Friday, Reuters