he stated his opposition to a federal takeover of vocational education from the states. Ryan was appointed the Special Minister for State in the first arrangement of the Second Turnbull ministry and gained additional responsibilities as the Minister Assisting the Prime Minister for Cabinet in a subsequent rearrangement. Ryan took extended leave for medical reasons in July 2017, following an illness that required admission to intensive care. President of the Senate On 13 November 2017, Ryan was elected President of the Senate, winning by 53 votes to 11 for Senator Peter Whish-Wilson of the Greens. He resigned his ministerial posts to take up the position. His predecessor Stephen Parry resigned from the Senate during the parliamentary eligibility crisis, after discovering he was a dual citizen of the United Kingdom. Ryan is the first former government minister to become President of the Senate since Doug McClelland (1983–1987), and the first person to resign from the ministry to take up the position. He took office at the age of 44, surpassing Kerry Sibraa (who was 49) as the youngest person to assume the presidency. Ryan stated that he would continue to sit in the Liberal partyroom during his presidency but would not participate in debate. Following the 2019 election, he was re-elected to the presidency on 2 July 2019. According to the Guardian Australia, he was "well regarded on both sides of the chamber". In August 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, he criticised the quarantine regimes of the state and territory governments as an infringement on the rights of parliamentarians. In March 2020, Ryan announced he would retire from federal parliament at the 2022 federal election, citing his unwillingness to serve another six-year term and that "constant renewal is essential for every political party". He initially committed to remaining as president until the end of his Senate term in 2022, but on 24 September 2021 announced his intention to resign from the Senate before parliament sat on 18 October 2021. He officially resigned on 13 October 2021. High Commissioner On 20 December 2021, Senator and Foreign Affairs Minister Marise Payne announced Ryan's appointment as High Commissioner to Canada to succeed Natasha Smith. Political positions Ryan described himself in 2018 as "very liberal in my political outlook" but with a conservative disposition. He was aligned with the faction in the Victorian Liberals associated with Peter Costello and Michael Kroger. After the Liberal candidate