ANALYSIS: How Number of MPs Not Running for Re-Election Compares to Previous Years

ANALYSIS: How Number of MPs Not Running for Re-Election Compares to Previous Years
Then-Labour and Seniors Minister Seamus O’Regan arrives to a caucus meeting on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 19, 2024. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
Matthew Horwood
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Like clockwork, in the months before each federal election is called, a number of MPs from each party will announce they are not running for re-election, each with his or her own particular reason. This time around, the numbers tell an interesting story.

The previous two elections saw 59 MPs in 2019 and 34 MPs in 2021 quitting or not seeking re-election by the time the writ was dropped. Of these, in 2019, 24 were from the governing Liberals, 21 were Conservatives, and 14 were NDP, and in 2021, 19 were Liberals, nine were Conservatives, and the other six were NDP, Bloc Québécois, and Independent.