Liberal MP Marco Mendicino will not seek re-election, saying it’s “the right time, for me and my family” to step aside.

The former cabinet minister made the announcement in a letter posted to social media on Thursday.

Mendocino wrote that he would serve as an MP for the rest of the parliamentary session, but also repeated his criticism of his government’s approach to the Middle East.

“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,” wrote Mendicino.

“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.”

More to come…