The next federal election will be missing a key player in the housing industry, as Liberal MP Adam Vaughan has announced he will not be running.
First elected to the House of Commons as Member of Parliament for Trinity-Spadina in 2014, Vaughan currently represents Spadina-Fort York and serves as parliamentary secretary to the minister of families, children, and social development.
News of Vaughan's decision broke on Sunday, with the Liberal MP citing his family as one of his reasons not to run.
"First and foremost it's a family decision," Vaughan said in an interview with CBC News, but also noted that turning 60 this year made him reflect on the stresses he faces as a parliamentarian.
"It's not a job you can do at half-speed. When I looked at the term ahead and the work that is still to be done, I thought, 'I've done as much as I think I can do,'" said Vaughan in the interview.
READ: Adam Vaughan Fires Back in War of Words Over Future of Canadian Housing Market
During his time on Toronto City Council, Vaughan played a significant role in the social and economic growth of the city, led successful campaigns to rebuild and revitalize existing public housing stock -- while initiating new policies to create family housing, supportive housing, and new co-op housing programs in the city -- and also spearheaded the revitalization of the Alexandra Park community.
While working alongside Justin Trudeau, Vaughan fought for the national housing strategy and affordable housing.
Following Vaughan's announcement, Toronto politicians took to Twitter to share their reaction to Vaughan’s decision not to seek re-election and to honour his work for the city.
Spadina-Fort York councillor Joe Cressy said Vaughan was "a tireless advocate for Toronto" and his work on housing and the Alexandra Park neighbourhood has "been transformational."
Kristyn Wong-Tam, councillor for Toronto Centre, echoed a similar tune, calling the news a "significant loss" and called Vaughan "one of the biggest housing and urban champions" in the federal government.
Norm Di Pasquale, an NDP candidate for Spadina-Fort York, who would have had to campaign against Vaughan in the next election, also thanked Vaughan for his service.
Vaughan isn't alone with his decision not to run. On Sunday, Liberal MPs Karen McCrimmon and William Amos also announced they would not run in the next federal election.
McCrimmon, the Liberal MP for Kanata-Carleton, tweeted that she will not run for re-election, citing “health challenges” as the reason for her decision.
Amos, Liberal MP for the riding of Pontiac in Quebec, known for appearing naked on camera in two different parliamentary videos, announced on Facebook that he would also not run for re-election.
“I have concluded that the time is not right for me to launch into another election campaign and I want to explore other avenues that enable a better work/life balance,” Amos said in his Facebook post.
The news of Vaughan, McCrimmon, and Amos' decisions to withdrawal comes ahead of a widely anticipated federal election call later this summer.
Trudeau is expected to ask the Governor-General to dissolve Parliament in the coming days, imposing a vote on Canadians this fall.
