Secret revealed. Mississauga East-Cooksville MP Albina Guarnieri says she will not seek re-election after it was disclosed that she was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 2006.

Veteran Mississauga East-Cooksville MP Albina Guarnieri says she will retire from federal politics after being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) in 2006. In an interview with The Globe and Mail, Guarnieri, a 57-year-old Liberal MP, said she has kept her disease a secret until Friday.

Guarnieri, who was first elected in 1988, is currently the longest serving woman sitting in the House of Commons. Over her career, Guarnieri has served as Minister of Veterans Affairs, Associate Minister of National Defence and Minister of State (Civil Preparedness). On Friday, she informed Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff that she would not seek re-election.

"Your health takes second place to your work," she told The Globe.

As she reflected on her 22 years in Parliament, Guarnieri told The Globe she had a "good run," working on issues close to her heart - victim's rights and now a bill demanding more transparency in charities.

"Albina Guarnieri has served the community of Mississauga East for 22 years and caps her political career as the longest serving woman in the history of the House of Commons," Ignatieff said in a formal statement. "It’s a testament to her unswerving dedication and political skill that since 1988, she has been re-elected six times, each time with overwhelming support in the riding she knows so well."