Liberal minister Carolyn Bennett announces she will not stand for re-election

OTTAWA — Mental Health and Addictions Minister Carolyn Bennett has announced that she will not stand for re-election as a member of Parliament. 

Bennett said she met with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to let him know, and added that serving her Toronto-St. Paul’s constituents has been the “best job.”

The news came as Bennett announced government funding for a 988 suicide crisis hotline in Toronto. 

The longtime Liberal was first elected to the House of Commons in 1997 after working as a family physician and an associate professor at the University of Toronto.