'Not an easy choice': Yvonne Jones will not seek N.L. Liberal leadership

Labrador MP Yvonne Jones has ended the speculation: she will not seek the leadership of the Liberal Party of Newfoundland and Labrador.

"After a great deal of thought and reflection, I have decided not to enter the … leadership race," Jones wrote on social media on Friday morning.

Jones said the encouragement she received in the days since Premier Andrew Furey announced his upcoming departure from politics "truly touched my heart," and that she carefully considered entering the race.

"To everyone who reached out to me with encouragement: thank you," she wrote.

"Your support means the world to me."

Jones congratulated Liberal MHAs John Abbott and John Hogan for entering the race, which will conclude on May 3 when registered party members have their say on who will the next leader and premier of Newfoundland and Labrador.

The deadline for nominations is March 24.

"They are both strong, capable and passionate about our province's future," said Jones, adding that the province is "well positioned for the future."

Jones, who has twice been diagnosed with cancer, announced in January that she will not be seeking re-election in the upcoming federal election. She has served as the MP for Labrador since May 2013, but her political career began in the early 1990s when she became mayor of her home community of Mary's Harbour, Labrador.

Jones represented the provincial district of Cartwright-L'Anse au Clair from 1996 to 2013, and was the first woman to become leader of the provincial Liberal party, serving as either the interim or full-time leader from November 2007 to August 2011.

Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.