WHITBY, Ont. -- Liberal MP Celina Caesar-Chavannes says she will not be seeking re-election in October in her riding of Whitby, Ont.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Saturday, the rookie MP said it was a "personal decision" based on a number of factors, and she informed Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Feb. 12, although her reasons arose before then.
"Over the course of the last three and a half years ... I had the opportunity to work with some fantastic colleagues, debate policy, put forward ideas and shape tremendous pieces of legislation that will have a real and positive impact on families across the country," Caesar-Chavannes wrote.
"It is an honour I never took for granted, and will not soon forget. That is why this announcement is a tremendously difficult one for me to make."
Caesar-Chavannes said her decision is not related to the SNC Lavalin controversy, which concerns whether Trudeau and others pressured former justice minister Jody Wilson-Raybould to help the engineering firm avoid a criminal prosecution over allegedly corrupt business dealings.
"I have tremendous respect for Ms. Wilson-Raybould and this will never change," Caesar-Chavannes wrote Saturday.
Following Wilson-Raybould's resignation from cabinet last month, Caesar-Chavannes tweeted in support of her colleague, calling Wilson-Raybould "fierce, smart and unapologetic."
Caesar-Chavannes, who is black, has also been vocal on issues of race. In May 2018, she and then-Conservative MP Maxime Bernier got into a Twitter dispute when Bernier accused Caesar-Chavannes of thinking "the world revolves around (her) skin colour."
Caesar-Chavannes responded to Bernier by pointing out that she deals with policy on a daily basis.
"Unlike you however, I can focus on policy while also shifting the status quo and increasing awareness," she tweeted. "That's what happens when you .AddWomen. We get more done!"
That wasn't the first time the two had clashed online. In March 2018, Caesar-Chavannes apologized to Bernier on Twitter after telling him to "check your privilege and be quiet" in a heated discussion about funding for minority communities.
Bernier did not seem open to the idea, telling Caesar-Chavannes he did not think the two could find much "common ground."
On Saturday, Caesar-Chavannes said that even though she will soon no longer be an MP, she hopes she inspired others to create change through political involvement.
"As I move on to different adventures and part ways with this role in politics, know that I will not be too far away," she said.
"I will continue to push boundaries, dismantle the status quo and break glass ceilings, and I hope you will expect no less from me."
