Nanaimo-Ladysmith N-D-P member of Parliament Sheila Malcolmson says she plans to leave the federal arena before the end of her first term so she can seek the provincial N-D-P nomination in the upcoming Nanaimo by-election. The Nanaimo seat has opened up following the election of current M-L-A Leonard Krog as Mayor of Nanaimo. In announcing her departure from the federal caucus, Malcolmson says she has no issues with New Democrat leader Jagmeet Singh but is attracted by the provincial party’s initiatives to improve housing and fight climate change. Malcolmson is the latest B-C N-D-P member of Parliament to leave the federal party after Kennedy Stewart stepped down from his Burnaby-South riding to make a successful run for the mayor’s chair in Vancouver.