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OTTAWA — The federal NDP is losing another member of its team just days after Leader Jagmeet Singh finally won a seat in the House of Commons in a make-or-break byelection.

B.C. MP Murray Rankin, the party’s justice critic and one of its senior caucus members, announced Thursday that he won’t seek re-election this year. His decision brings to 12 the number of NDP MPs elected in 2015 who aren’t running again — more than a quarter of the caucus.

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“After about seven years, I think it’s time for a fresh voice,” he told the National Post in an interview. “It’s been the most exciting and rewarding thing I’ve ever done, working as an MP … But in terms of my life, I think it’s time to let someone else take the reins and I think this is a good time to do it.”

Rankin said he “absolutely” supports Singh’s leadership, and said he hopes the party is on an “upward incline” since Singh won the Burnaby South byelection on Monday with 39 per cent of the vote.