Canadian environment minister Jim Prentice resigns to take bank job

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      Federal environment minister Jim Prentice is leaving politics to take a job with the Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce.

      According to news reports, Prentice is resigning from cabinet immediately, and will quit as the Conservative MP for Calgary Centre-North before the year is over.

      Prentice’s resignation comes two days after he announced that the federal government rejected Taseko Mines’s Prosperity gold-copper project, near Williams Lake, due to the “significant adverse environmental effects”.

      First elected to Parliament in 2004, Prentice has served the Stephen Harper government as minister of Indian affairs and northern development and minister of industry.

      In January, Prentice will become CIBC’s vice chair.

      You can follow Stephen Hui on Twitter at twitter.com/stephenhui.

      Comments

      5 Comments

      glen p robbins

      Nov 4, 2010 at 3:09pm

      Angus Reid says Conservatives lead Liberals by double digits.
      Prentice has always been thought of as leadership material 'somewhere'.

      Somewhere is either provincial (Alberta) or federal (Conservative).Progressive Conservative from Alberta - his leaving affirms our recent polling which says that Conservatives and Liberals are in fact tied.

      If Stephen Harper loses seats in next election -- from 143? to say 120-124, Conservative Party will look to change leaders -- and cut Liberals off with Progressive Conservative leader----bring on the new Green Conservative Jim Prentice.

      seth

      Nov 5, 2010 at 12:09pm

      This is the most insidious form of corruption. Makes third world politicians seem like saints.

      He goes from an attorney maybe making an MP's salary sans pension, to a MP making a cool fortune in a pension plan, now as a reward for his compliant promotion of Big Oil natural gas sales, he will be raking in $5M plus enormous benefits over at CIBC as CIBC’s vice-chairman and senior executive vice-president.

      There is nothing on his resume that would even get a second look from the bank if it wasn't obligated to hand out the reward.

      Oddly no such lucrative rewards are available to out of work ex NDP politicians.
      seth

      glen p robbins

      Nov 5, 2010 at 12:21pm

      Seth - respectfully - I am wondering, are you an ex NDP politician - or just an NDP supporter///////sympathizer musing about the realities afforded government elites?

      Bruno15

      Nov 5, 2010 at 12:53pm

      @ Seth - Glen Clark

      seth

      Nov 5, 2010 at 9:04pm

      You guys are such clowns.

      But seriously I mean if you assume that Glen Clark wasn't working for Jimmy when he dreamed up the fast ferry's (lots will argue he was), look what happened to him. He had to hit the street burning shoe leather like the rest of us. He was lucky Jimmy didn't give him a minimum wage job washing cars out on the lot - no Golden parachute there.
      seth