Liberal MP Adams won't seek re-election 
by Romeo St. Martin

[PoliticsWatch Updated 12:50 p.m. April 25, 2005]

Liberal MP Peter Adams won't be running in the next federal election

OTTAWA  — Ontario Liberal MP Peter Adams has announced his plans not to run in the upcoming federal election. 

Adams, 69, made the announcement in a speech in his Peterborough riding last Wednesday, a day before Prime Minister Paul Martin made a special televised address on the sponsorship scandal. 

His announcement could be the crest of a wave of other Liberal MPs who may decide not to run in the next election. 

"I have decided not to run in the next election whenever it is called," Adams said in prepared remarks at the press conference last week. "I will work in the campaign but I will not be the candidate.

"I have advised the prime minister of my decision, thanking him for his support over the years. It would be dishonest to say that this has been an easy decision. It has not. However it is time for me to move on."

In a news release, Adams said he made the decision during a family gathering celebrating his birthday the previous weekend. 

Adams was first elected to the House when the Liberals came to power in the 1993 federal election. Before that he was elected to the Ontario legislature in 1987.

Before entering politics he was a university professor. 

While in Ottawa, Adams' academic background came in handy when he chaired the government caucus on post-secondary education and research. That group worked on programs such as the government's Millennium Scholarship Program, the Canada Graduate Scholarships, the RESP program and the Canada Foundation for Innovation. 

In the last week, speculation has grown about other Liberal MPs not running in the next election. 

On Friday, Sun Media reported that many Liberal MPs were considering quitting politics rather than facing an angry electorate in the upcoming campaign. In recent weeks, the Liberals have fallen behind the Conservatives in all national polls. 

"I have reason to believe that there's a number of people who are going to announce they're not running," one unnamed veteran Liberal MP told Sun Media. "I talked to a few (this week). There are going to be some people who are just going to say, 'I'm outta here. I'm not running.' "

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