Maureen MacDonald is retiring from politics after serving as a member of the Nova Scotia legislature for 18 years.
The veteran member of the NDP made the announcement Tuesday at province house.
MacDonald was first elected as an MLA for Halifax Needham in 1998 and presided over many portfolios in her career, including health and wellness, finance, Gaelic affairs and African Nova Scotia Affairs.
She was named the province’s first female minister of finance in then-premier Darrell Dexter’s government, and introduced a balanced budget in spring 2013.
MacDonald served as interim party leader after the 2013 provincial election until Gary Burrill was elected in February.
Before getting into politics, MacDonald was a professor of social policy at the Maritime School of Social Work.
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