BONVILLE, Ontario – At the meeting of the Stromont-Dundas-SouthGlengarry (SDSG) Conservative Party Riding Association meeting at the Lion’s Club in Bonville on Saturday, Jan. 26, 2019, long time Conservative MP Guy Lauzon announced that he would be retiring and not running for re-election in October.

“After a great deal of thought and discussion, Frances and I decided that I won’t be the Conservative candidate in October 2019,” Lauzon said to the riding members. “In October, it will be 15 years and four months that I have had the honour, the privelege to serve as your Member of Parliament and I’ve given it all I’ve had, but you know what, after 15 years and four months, it starts to wear down a little bit.”

Lauzon said that he will be spending more time with his wife Frances. In the summer of 2015, just after that election was announced Frances was diagnosed with non-hodgkins Lymphoma and Luazon admitted that he was unable to give 110 percent to that campaign. Frances was cured of her Lymphoma, but Lauzon says that there are continuing health issues.

Lauzon reflected on his career in politics and said that his greatest honour was serving as National Caucus Chair in the Conservative Government of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

The former Prime Minister released a statement about Lauzon’s retirement.

“Guy served in many roles in Opposition and Government, but his most notable time came as our National Caucus Chair from 2008 to 2015,” wrote Harper. “In that position, he was much admired by all his Conservative colleagues and was a tower of strength for our Government. Yet Guy’s attention never wandered far from Stormont-Dundas-South Glengarry. He worked tirelessly to defend and advance the interests of his constituents. This accounts for his four subsequent re-elections, in which he always exceeded 50% of the vote.”

Lauzon had accepted his party’s nomination for the 2019 election in Dec. 2017, but now the Conservative Party will begin the process of nominating a new candidate. Lauzon said that he felt that there were many strong young candidates in the riding, but declined to name any.

Lauzon has served as MP for SDSG since 2004.