Former cabinet minister Tootoo won’t seek re-election this fall in Nunavut

OTTAWA — Former Liberal cabinet minister turned Independent MP Hunter Tootoo says he is not running in this fall’s election.

In a statement, Tootoo says he has decided to leave public life after much consideration.

He says it has been a great honour and privilege to serve the people of Nunavut first as a member of the legislative assembly and then as a member of Parliament beginning in 2015.

Less than a year later, Tootoo quit Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s cabinet and the Liberal caucus, apologizing for a “consensual but inappropriate relationship” with an unidentified person.