Liberal MP Francis Drouin has announced that he’s not planning on seeking re-election in next year’s federal election.

“In politics, you have to know when to get on the ice, but also when to disembark,” he told CBC Radio-Canada, originally in french.

The 9-year MP for the Glengarry—Prescott—Russell riding in Ontario, near Ottawa, said that he wanted to spend more time with his wife and kid. 

He said that his party’s substantial drop in the polls is not tied to his decision. But he admitted, “My party is going to have a hard time in the next election, that’s for sure.”

Drouin further said that he’s noticed a change in attitude towards Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and blamed COVID, as well as people’s need for a scapegoat.

He currently serves as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Agriculture. 

Trudeau’s Labour Minister also fleeing Liberal Party

Labour Minister Seamus O’Regan recently announced that he will not seek re-election in the next federal race and will resign from his cabinet role.

O’Regan, a long-time close friend of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who was part of his wedding party in 2005, was initially elected to the House of Commons in 2015 and, like Drouin, was re-elected in 2019 and 2021.

The move was the latest among a string of Liberal MPs to announce they’re quitting or not seeking re-election. In January, David Lametti, the former Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada, said he was resigning from his position, effective February 1st. And, in December 2023, longtime Liberal MP and former Minister, Carolyn Bennett, announced she was also resigning.