Toronto MP and former Liberal cabinet minister Marco Mendicino won't seek re-election

Marco Mendicino, a prominent Toronto Member of Parliament and former minister of public safety and immigration, won't run in the next federal election, CTV News has learned.

Marco Mendicino, a prominent Toronto Member of Parliament and former minister of public safety and immigration, won’t run in the next federal election, CTV News has learned.

In a lengthy written statement, Mendicino, who has represented the riding of Eglinton-Lawrence since 2015, said it’s “the right time, for me and my family” to step away, and that he will serve out the rest of the session as an MP.

“I have always felt the greatest sense of fulfillment in this job when I am with my community,” Mendicino wrote.

In the statement, Mendicino detailed his work on behalf of that community, but wrote that, as “gratifying as it is, the work of an MP is not always easy.”

“It is no secret that I have disagreed with the current direction of the federal government on our foreign policy vis-a-vis our deteriorated relations with the State of Israel, our inadequate handling of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, and our enfeebled role in the Middle East.”

The former minister’s statement goes on to note there must be "room for different views" in political parties. 

“As a matter of principle, I have been consistently outspoken in my condemnation of the unjust targeting of the Jewish community, which is facing a tidal wave of antisemitism.”