Justice Minister Arif Virani won't run in next election

Justice Minister Arif Virani says he won't be running in the coming federal election.

Virani says in a social media post that the past decade in public office has taken a toll on his family life.

The Toronto-area MP says he made his decision after doing "considerable soul searching" over the past several weeks.

Virani is the latest Liberal MP to decline to seek re-election as the party faces an uphill battle against a popular Conservative party.

The three-term MP was first elected in 2015 in the big wave that swept Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's Liberals into office.

Virani beat high-profile NDP MP Peggy Nash in the progressive downtown riding of Parkdale—High Park.