Ted Hsu, the former MP for Kingston and the Islands, is to seek the Liberal nomination for the 2022 provincial election.Julia McKay/Kingston Whig-Standard/Postmedia NetworkJulia McKay / Julia McKay/Kingston Whig-Standa

KINGSTON Former Kingston and the Islands MP Ted Hsu left politics five years ago to focus on his family.

But when he announced he would not seek re-election in the 2015 federal election, Hsu left the door open to making a return to elected office some day.

That day is today.

Hsu is to announce Thursday that he plans to seek the Liberal nomination for the 2022 provincial election.

And it was his daughters and their growing concern about the problems of the world climate change, economic upheaval and international tensions who motivated him to go back to politics.

When I talked to my daughter, shes in high school, I feel that her generation is pessimistic and that makes me kind of sad, Hsu said in an interview Wednesday.

I have a few good years left in me and I have the experience and energy so I am just gong to do a little bit. Im motivated in wanting to address the pessimism of my daughters generation.

Hsu represented Kingston and the Islands in the House of Commons from 2011 to 2015 as an opposition Liberal MP.

He worked as the Ontario Liberal caucus and critic for economic development in Ontario, post-secondary education, and science and technology and was named Parliamentarian of the Year in 2013.

Since leaving politics, Hsu has kept a low profile but his interest in politics remained.

Last year he co-chaired, along they Kingscourt-Rideau Dist. Coun. Mary Rita Holland, the mayors task force on housing.

That experience, he said, provided a good view of how provincial government affects the lives of people.

The provincial government regulates and funds big parts of the provinces economy, such ashousing,environmental standards,economic competitiveness,health care and education and improving those sectors will put Ontario in a better place to tackle other challenges, he said.

There are big challenges in the world and we need people with expertise to who want to attack the things people are worried about, he said.

Hsu said the current provincial Progressive Conservative governments two years in office are looked at they have to be divided in two distinct parts separated by the beginning of the pandemic.

Hsu said before the pandemic struck, many of the governments policy decisions and budget cuts that were not very well thought through.

During the pandemic, the government has made the right moves by taking the threat seriously and following the advice of public health experts, he added.

What the pandemic did show was how important it is for politicians to interact with health officials, scientists, economists and other experts, and to listen to their advice, something Hsu said will become even more critical in the coming few months as the economy begins to reopen.

Now it becomes tricky, he said. I dont really want to knee-jerk critical if I have not been in the room and seen all the moving parts. I just hope they take the advice of the experts.

Hsu joins former MPP Sophie Kiwala in seeking the nomination. Prior to winning the 2014 election, Kiwala worked in Hsus constituency office.

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Former Kingston MP Ted Hsu to seek provincial Liberal nomination - The Kingston Whig-Standard