Two GTA Liberal cabinet ministers and an Eastern Ontario MPP have announced they will not run for re-election in June.

International Trade Minister Michael Chan, 66, who represents Markham-Unionville, and Government and Consumer Affairs Minister Tracy MacCharles, 54, the Pickering-Scarborough East MPP, are retiring.

Joining them is Liberal MPP Grant Crack, 55, who has represented Glengarry-Prescott-Russell since 2011.

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The departure of three MPPs is a blow to Premier Kathleen Wynne and comes nine weeks before the election.

But each said Thursday he or she is leaving for personal, not political, reasons.

“While this was not an easy decision, it was a necessary one that will allow me to focus on some health concerns that have recently developed,” said Chan, who was first elected in 2007.

MacCharles said it “pains” her to have to leave politics.

“As many know, I have been facing health challenges over the past year. I have come to the realization that I would not be able to bring the full energy and drive to this campaign that my constituents deserve from their candidates and representatives,” she said.

“This is one of the most difficult decisions I have ever had to make, but I have concluded that this is what is best for my constituents, my health and my family.”

Crack, whose riding abuts the Quebec border, had confided in friends that being a five-hour drive from home was becoming a grind, said he advised Wynne earlier this year of his own “difficult decision.”

“After careful consideration and heartfelt discussions with my family, I concluded that the time is right to seek out other career opportunities,” said Crack, who stressed he will help the Liberals hold the key riding in June.

“I look forward to assisting the next Liberal candidate in the upcoming campaign, and I am confident that GPR will remain red. I am also confident that my Liberal colleagues, under the forward-thinking leadership of Premier Kathleen Wynne, will form a majority government on June 7.”

Along with Chan and MacCharles, Wynne has lost former ministers Glen Murray, 60; Deb Matthews, 64; Liz Sandals, 70; Brad Duguid, 55, and Eric Hoskins, 57.

Speaker Dave Levac, who will be 64 on Friday, is also not seeking re-election and MPPs Monte Kwinter, 87, and Mario Sergio, 77, have previously announced their retirement.

Public-opinion polls suggest Wynne’s Liberals, in power since 2003, face a tough campaign against rookie Progressive Conservative Leader Doug Ford.

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The premier praised all three of her colleagues as they head off into the sunset.

“A career in public life is invariably rewarding, demanding and tough to give up. It’s why I know that Ministers Michael Chan and Tracy MacCharles and MPP Grant Crack have faced a difficult decision in choosing not to run again in June’s election,” said Wynne.

However, she stressed there would be an infusion of new political blood.

“These departures also represent an opportunity for us to welcome three new prospective candidates to our strong, diverse Liberal team,” the premier said.

“They are an impressive group. Sumi Shan, a tech entrepreneur has expressed an intention to run in (the new riding of) Scarborough-Rouge Park; Juanita Nathan, a public school board trustee and the first Tamil woman elected to public office in Canada, will seek the nomination in (renamed) Markham-Thornhill, and Pierre Leroux, the mayor of Russell Township, will pursue the nomination in Glengarry-Prescott-Russell.”

Each of the three Liberal hopefuls expressed high hopes for the campaign.

“I want to ensure that families in Scarborough can continue to benefit from a plan that is delivering more child care spaces, better public transit and free prescription drugs for kids and seniors,” said Shan.

Nathan agreed, emphasizing she is “well aware of the challenges people face to make ends meet.”

Leroux echoed that, saying he is “someone who is committed to making our lives easier and more affordable.”

But Ford’s Conservatives said Thursday’s exodus is “further proof that it’s going to be a difficult election for Wynne Liberal candidates who have to go door-to-door and defend a record of scandal, waste, and mismanagement.”

“Who is next to jump off of the sinking Liberal ship?” the Tories asked in a news release.

Correction — April 5, 2018: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly referred to Michael Chan as the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration. As well, the previous version misstated when Chan was elected as an MPP.

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