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At the Orléans Liberal nomination meeting Thursday, outgoing Liberal member of Parliament and retired lieutenant-general Andrew Leslie revealed that his decision not to run for re-election was, in part, motivated by ethical concerns related to those around him.

In an open letter May 1, Leslie broke the news that he would not be running again. He didn’t get into the reasons why, writing only that “after careful consideration – while recovering from shoulder replacement surgery – I believe it is time for me to take a new path.”

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In the letter he thanked Orléans residents, his staff and riding association volunteers. He also thanked Justin Trudeau for his appointment as chief government whip and parliamentary secretary to the minister of foreign affairs. It was a surprise to many that Leslie, considered a star Liberal candidate during the election, was never appointed to cabinet.

Photo by Tony Caldwell / Postmedia

This newspaper spoke with Leslie outside Thursday’s nomination meeting. Asked why he decided not to run again, Leslie said, “A variety of reasons. I think 40 years is a long time to be either in the army or in public service and I’d like to try something new. I’m not sure what that is yet.”