Peter MacKay leaving federal politics after nearly two decades

Justice Minister Peter Mackay rises during Question Period in the House of Commons on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Thursday, April 30, 2015. (Adrian Wyld / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

STELLARTON, N.S. -- Federal Justice Minister Peter MacKay has confirmed he won't run for re-election this fall, ending a nearly 20-year run as a member of Parliament.

MacKay made the announcement today alongside Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who travelled to Nova Scotia to be there in person.

"For entirely personal reasons I have come to the difficult decision that I will not be standing as the Conservative candidate for Central Nova in the federal election this fall," MacKay told a gathering of supporters in Stellarton, N.S.

"For entirely personal reasons, the time has come for me to step back and concentrate on my young and growing family."

Harper looked close to tears during a heartfelt tribute when he said the occasion had filled him with "tremendous pride and more than a little sorrow."

"Peter MacKay is an outstanding public servant," Harper said. "Peter MacKay is a great person. And Peter MacKay is a historic figure."

MacKay, who represents the riding of Central Nova and was first elected as an MP in 1997, was at the helm of the Progressive Conservatives when it merged with the Canadian Alliance in 2003.

MacKay was placed in cabinet immediately after the Conservatives formed government in 2006, beginning at foreign affairs and then later shuffled to defence.

He became justice minister in 2013, in a sense coming full circle as his career as a lawyer was what prompted him to enter politics.