KELLEY HAS HAD ENOUGH
MNA won’t seek re-election
QUEBEC Longtime Liberal MNA and minister responsible for native affairs Geoffrey Kelley will not seek re-election in October.
Kelley, who represents the West Island riding of Jacques Cartier, has called a morning news conference Monday in Beaconsfield to make the announcement, officials confirmed Sunday evening.
Kelley becomes the 17th Liberal MNA in the caucus and eighth minister in Premier Philippe Couillard’s cabinet to announce he’s done. The election is Oct. 1. Agriculture Minister Laurent Lessard announced Friday that he is not running.
Kelley’s decision had long been rumoured, but he has said he was reflecting.
On the other hand, Kelley, who just turned 63, recently told the Montreal Gazette that a quarter century in politics is a long haul by any standards.
“It’s just the energy to do it for another four years,” Kelley said. “Because it’s back and forth, it’s 40 trips to Quebec City a year.”
First elected in 1994, Kelley has been a Liberal stalwart. He was re-elected six times, the last time in 2014.
Known as one of the government’s most efficient yet discreet ministers, Kelley made his name with both Premier Jean Charest and Couillard for his ability to manage the tricky native issues file.
An avid reader but also a devoted fan of the Canadiens, Kelley, a father of five children, is often seen with a book tucked under his arm walking in the halls of the National Assembly.