Ontario Deputy Premier Christine Elliott will not seek re-election in June but will continue in her job as minister of health until then.
Elliott says she made the decision to not run in the coming provincial election after "considerable reflection and discussion" with her family.
She says Premier Doug Ford asked her to continue working with his government after she shared her decision with him.
Ford says Elliott has been a close personal friend to him for decades and has supported him since the beginning of COVID-19 pandemic.
Elliott's announcement comes not long after another senior member of Ford's cabinet, Rod Phillips, not only said that he would not run in the election but also resigned last month.
Elliott was first elected to the legislature in 2006, but left politics for three years after losing the 2015 Progressive Conservative leadership race – one of her three attempts to helm the party.