John Haggie, Education Minister said he’s stepping away from his roles as MHA and Education Minister to deal with a health problem.
He broke the news on his Twitter Account last Tuesday morning saying, “I will be taking some time off to deal with a health concern. My Constituency will remain open.”
“Thank you for your understanding and support at this time,” he said.
Haggie had previously taken some time off in August 2020 deal with an unspecified medical procedure. He was the province’s health minister from 2015 – 2022, when he swapped portfolios with Osborne and became education minister.
Haggie originally from Manchester, moved to Canada in the early 1990’s. He made his career as a surgeon before jumping into politics in 2015, becoming MHA for the Gander region.
He helped lead the province through the early days of the pandemic alongside Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Janice Fitzgerald, and then Premier Dwight Ball.
Haggie is the second cabinet minister to take a leave of absence for medical reasons this month. On January 9, House leader and Tourism Minister, Steve Crocker stepped away to recover from an emergency surgery. Sarah Stoodley is covering his ministerial role, while John Hogan took over as House leader.
Interim PC Leader, David Brazil also took a leave of absence after suffering a near-fatal heart attack in October.