3 NDP MPs announce they're leaving politics

NDP MPs Charlie Angus, Carol Hughes and Rachel Blaney all announced Thursday that they will not be seeking re-election.

«After seven elections, 20 years of service in Parliament, and the privilege of being the longest-serving MP in Timmins history, it is time to pass the baton,» Angus wrote in a social media post on Thursday.

The longest-serving of the three MPs, Angus has represented a vast area in Northern Ontario since his first victory in the 2004 federal election, turning what had been a strong Liberal seat orange.

One of the NDP's most prominent voices, the 61-year-old is well-known as a former punk rocker (he played with former NDP MP Andrew Cash) and worked as a community activist in Toronto. He's the author of several books.

He ran for the leadership of the NDP in 2017, eventually placing second to current leader Jagmeet Singh.

He said in a news release Thursday that he tried to take a pragmatic approach to politics «but I and my NDP colleagues never wavered in our progressive ideals, and I am proud of the work I've done.»

He specifically cited the coming changes to his riding as part of the reason for his retirement. His riding of Timmins-James Bay is set to expand by more than 20,000 square kilometres, encompassing many new communities and being renamed Kapuskasing-Timmins-Mushkegowuk in the next federal election.

Hughes also represents a riding in Northern Ontario that is changing significantly through a once-in-a-decade redistribution process. Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, next door to Angus's seat, covers a swath of land stretching from Manitoulin Island to the town of Hearst. The riding is being eliminated entirely and divided up among neighbouring constituencies.

Hughes won her seat in 2008, beating longtime