Cheri Di Novo quits federal NDP leadership race after suffering two small strokes

Cheri Di Novo, long-time NDP MPP for Parkdale High Park, is photographed in her office at the provincial legislature and across the street at Queens Park on Feb 23 2016. (Fred Lum/The Globe and Mail)

TORONTO -- Ontario New Democrat Cheri DiNovo is pulling out of the federal NDP's leadership race because of health reasons.

DiNovo, a member of the Ontario legislature, issued a statement saying she suffered what doctors believe were two small strokes in recent weeks, which she called "a terrifying ordeal."

The veteran NDPer says she needs to spend the next month or so focusing on her health so she'll be able to return to the Ontario legislature for the fall sitting.

DiNovo raised eyebrows in June when she announced her bid to replace Tom Mulcair because she didn't have the $30,000 deposit required of federal NDP leadership candidates.

Instead, she declared herself an "unofficial" candidate for the NDP leadership, and said she would "fight for principles rather than for a position."

DiNovo, a United Church minister and advocate for LGBTQ rights, said she's confident another candidate will step forward who puts principles and values at the forefront of their campaign.

"I am so sorry that it cannot be me, but this was never about me anyway," DiNovo said in her statement Tuesday. "It is about the principles and values of the brave souls who penned the Regina Manifesto and their legacy that so many still share."

The Regina Manifesto, signed in 1933, was the program of the Co-operative Commonwealth Federation, which merged with other groups to form the New Democratic Party in 1961.