Wilson-Raybould not seeking re-election, blasts 'toxic and ineffective' Parliament

Independent MP Jody Wilson-Raybould has announced she will not seek re-election, saying Parliament has become "toxic and ineffective."

The former Liberal cabinet minister announced her decision in a letter to constituents of her Vancouver riding that was posted to Twitter this morning.

She says she is not leaving to spend more time with family or focus on other challenges, but because of the "disgraceful" emphasis on partisan politics over real action.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau appointed Wilson-Raybould as Canada's first Indigenous justice minister in 2015, but she was booted from the Liberal caucus four years later after she accused the prime minister of pressuring her to secure a deferred prosecution agreement for SNC-Lavalin.

Wilson-Raybould, who does not say in her letter to constituents what she will be doing after leaving politics, was re-elected as an Independent MP in October 2019.

Crown-Indigenous Relations Minister Carolyn Bennett apologized to Wilson-Raybould last month after appearing to suggest her former caucus colleague was speaking out against a fall election because she was worried about her pension.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 8, 2021.