Long-time Ottawa MPP Lisa MacLeod says she will be taking some time off to “address and improve” her health.
In a statement posted to Twitter on Friday, MacLeod said she made the decision “under advice and guidance” of her physician and medical support team.
“I owe it to myself, my husband Joe and daughter Victoria to take that advice,” she wrote. “The last couple of years have been difficult for many people. I know I am not alone in this regard.”
MacLeod, who most recently served in the Ford government as Minister of Heritage, Sport, Tourism and Culture Industries, has served as the MPP for Nepean since 2006. She was re-elected on June 2.
In the statement, she said her mental and physical health and well-being have been “greatly impacted.”
“While I love waking up every morning to work hard for the people of Nepean and Ontario, now is the time to work on my healing,” she said. “I need some time to rest and recuperate.”
She said that will be her focus over the “next few months.”
MacLeod said maintaining mental and physical health is a “constant challenge.”
“There are ups and downs,” she said. “I am down now but will stand up again soon.”
MacLeod said her focus for the “next little while” will not be on politics, but “rather on health and healing.”
She added, though, that this is not a “good-bye” or a “route to another job.”
“While temporarily taking a breather is not a decision I have taken lightly, it is the right one to make now,” she wrote. “Thank you all for your understanding.”
MacLeod’s statement came shortly after Premier Doug Ford announced his new cabinet.
She was not appointed a cabinet position on Friday.
MacLeod thanked Ford for his “support, his kindness and his faith” in her over the last few years.
She also offered her support to the new cabinet.