Minister Andrew Parsons has announced he doesn’t intend to seek re-election in the next provincial election. (Mark Quinn/CBC)

Energy and Industry Minister Andrew Parsons has announced he is not planning to run in the next Newfoundland and Labrador election.

Parsons, who is the MHA for Burgeo–La Poile, announced the news in a Facebook post.

“After a lot of consideration and contemplation — and I mean a lot, well over a year — I have decided that I won’t be running in the next provincial election, whenever that may be,” Parsons, 45, said in the post.

He said making the announcement now will give whoever decides to run in his western Newfoundland seat enough time to prepare for a campaign.

“I also wanted to provide the premier with plenty of notice to allow him to plan accordingly,” wrote Parsons.

Parsons is expected to talk to journalists Friday.

Parsons, a lawyer, entered provincial politics in 2011 and held a number of posts while the Liberals were in opposition, including serving as Opposition House leader.

While in government since 2015, he has been government House leader, and has had cabinet portfolios in justice, municipal affairs and environment.

His father, Kelvin Parsons, also a former justice minister, held the same seat in the House of Assembly for 13 years, leaving politics in 2011.

No byelection planned for now

Parsons said he doesn’t intend to step down immediately, so he won’t be triggering a byelection — though he did not give a timeline for his departure.

“This is not goodbye just yet; I will stay as MHA for a while and have advised the premier that I would be honoured to continue to serve on his team as long as he feels it’s the right move,” he wrote.

Parsons is leaving politics in a year that has already had four provincial byelections.

In January, voters elected Liberal candidate Fred Hutton, a former broadcaster who had served as a senior communications aide to Furey, in the district of Conception Bay East-Bell Island, which had previously been held by PC politician David Brazil.

In February, Baie Verte-Green Bay MHA Brian Warr announced he was leaving politics after eight years in office. PC candidate Lin Paddock went on to flip Warr’s seat.

In April, a byelection in Fogo Island-Cape Freels filled the seat made vacant after Liberal MHA Derrick Bragg died. That seat flipped from red to blue when voters elected PC candidate Jim McKenna.

Most recently, Liberal candidate Jamie Korab was able to keep the Waterford Valley seat red, which needed to be filled after longtime MHA Tom Osborne retired in July.

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