Former Ontario minister Kaleed Rasheed is not seeking re-election

Former Ontario cabinet minister Kaleed Rasheed will not seek another term in office, an announcement that comes more than a year after he quit the Progressive Conservative caucus over a scandal adjacent to the Greenbelt.

In a statement posted on social media, the Mississauga East-Cooksville MPP said the decision was “not taken lightly,” but stressed it would continue until the end of the term.

“I have had the privilege of working alongside some of the most talented and dedicated colleagues under inspiring leadership,” Rasheed said in his statement.

“The experience has been nothing short of transformative.”

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Rasheed, who was first elected in 2018, was appointed Minister for Public Service Delivery and Enterprise after the government was re-elected in 2022, a role he held until his resignation in September 2023.

Rasheed’s exit from the party came after he, along with other members of the prime minister’s inner circle, were embroiled in a scandal related to a 2019 trip to Las Vegas that raised questions about the government’s relationship with developers

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The MPP also faced scrutiny over his testimony to the integrity commissioner about the trip, which critics believed was inconsistent.

Although Rashed insisted he was not a cabinet minister at the time of the trip and denied any wrongdoing, Ford refused to allow him to return to the PC caucus until he cleared his name with the integrity commissioner .