OTTAWA — The federal NDP is losing another incumbent, as Quebec MP Marjolaine Boutin-Sweet says she will not be seeking re-election later this year.
The decision represents the latest blow to the third-place party, which has already seen a slew of MPs leave or announce their decision not to run for another term in October.
That list includes Alberta MP Linda Duncan, Ontario MPs Irene Mathyssen and David Christopherson, Quebec MPs Tom Mulcair, Helene Laverdiere and Romeo Saganash, and B.C. MPs Kennedy Stewart, Sheila Malcolmson and Fin Donnelly.
Boutin-Sweet was first elected during the so-called Orange Wave in 2011, when the NDP under then-leader Jack Layton rode historic gains in Quebec to become the Official Opposition.
But in a statement Thursday, Boutin-Sweet said she did not "have the same energy I had in 2011," which was why she had decided not to seek a third mandate.
Yet while Boutin-Sweet expressed confidence that "a spirited next generation is waiting at the NDP to continue my work," her departure underlines the party's recent struggles, particularly in Quebec.
Not only has the NDP suffered several poor byelection results under current leader Jagmeet Singh, it has also had trouble raising money while support in the polls has largely stagnated.
New Democrats are hoping to turn things around next week in byelections for the Montreal riding of Outremont, which was held by their former leader Mulcair, and the B.C. riding of Burnaby South, where Singh is running.
