OTTAWA – Veteran Liberal MP Irwin Cotler will not run in the next election.
“I have enjoyed the honour and privilege of serving my riding, Parliament, and the Canadian people as a whole for close to 15 years. I look forward to completing my mandate and continuing the pursuit of justice in other arenas,” Cotler said in a release.
The 73-year-old former Liberal justice minister, who represents the Montreal riding of Mount Royal, was first elected to Parliament in 1999. He was named to the Paul Martin cabinet in 2003.
In his time as justice minister, Cotler introduced Canada’s first law to combat human trafficking, legislation that extended marriage equality to gays and lesbians, and prioritized the quashing of wrongful convictions.
The next election is expected in Fall 2015. Cotler’s riding has been Liberal for more than two decades.
Although he was initially elected in a byelection with 92 per cent of the vote, Cotler beat Conservative candidate Saulie Zajdel by fewer than 2,500 votes in 2011.
Zajdel, who went on to work for cabinet minister James Moore, was charged with corruption last June in relation to his activities as a municipal councillor in Montreal.
The Conservative party acknowledged commissioning calls into Cotler’s riding that claimed the veteran MP was about to retire. Cotler lodged a formal complaint in the House of Commons, and the Speaker called the practice “reprehensible.”
Cotler said he will remain a “vocal and engaged” MP serving constituents until the next election.
“Beyond that, I look forward to remaining active in public life, lecturing and writing on the issues of the day, advancing the causes of human rights and international justice, and advocating on behalf of political prisoners – efforts in which I have been engaged for over thirty-five years,” he said in a release.
Cotler, who worked as an international human rights lawyer, recently accompanied Prime Minister Stephen Harper to South Africa to attend Nelson Mandela’s funeral. Cotler served as Mandela’s Canadian counsel.
Anthony Housefather, mayor of Côte Saint-Luc, southwest of Montreal, said in an interview he’s strongly considering running for the federal Liberal nomination. “I’ve signed up many hundreds of members in anticipating that I may do it, and I’ve lined up a lot of support,” he said.
READ MORE: Côte Saint-Luc mayor considering bid to be MP
Cotler’s chief of staff, Howard Liebman, posted a note on Facebook Wednesday afternoon saying he’s received calls to stand for elected office.
“After deep reflection, and now that Prof. Cotler has announced his intentions, I will be exploring new opportunities. One can never replace Prof. Cotler, but my sincerest desire is that this riding will identify a candidate worthy of their support, capable of continuing Prof. Cotler’s exemplary work, ethics and values. Mount Royal constituents deserve nothing less.
– with files from The Canadian Press
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