A high-profile cabinet minister has added her name to a list of New Democratic Party members who won’t be running again in the next election.

Sanda Jansen, Calgary-North West MLA, made the announcement in a statement Monday.

“This is not an easy decision," she wrote. "But after many years in public life, it is the right decision for me and my family.”

Jansen called her floor crossing in 2016 from the Progressive Conservative Party to Premier Rachel Notley’s government “one of the best decisions of my career.”

At the time, she alleged harassment by PC members while running for party leadership.

In an October 2017 cabinet shuffle, Jansen was made minister of infrastructure.

“I am very honored to have been given the chance to serve. And I am proud of what I have been able to accomplish on behalf of my constituents, particularly over these last two years. I would like to thank those constituents for their unwavering support,” the statement read.

A Mount Royal University political scientist called Jansen’s announcement unsurprising.

“Sandra Jansen has probably looked at the chances of winning in her riding and concluded that it's not likely to be a successful race,” Lori Williams said.

Williams added: “The fact that she was a Progressive Conservative when first elected and went to the NDP, that sort of floor crossing, as we know, always raises questions about a candidate.”

Monday saw a second NDP MLA bow out of the 2019 race: Strathcona-Sherwood Park’s Estefania Cortes-Vargas.

“I had to make a decision that allows me to explore continuing my studies,” the MLA explained.

Cortes-Vargas was elected to the legislative assembly in May 2015.

Both Cortes-Vargas and Jansen said they would be helping in Notley in her campaign for re-election, with Cortes-Vargas endorsing a new candidate for the area, Moira Vane.

“Moira is a mom, is a crown prosecutor, is relentless,” said Cortes-Vargas.

“I've spent so much of my time working on getting petrochemical diversification happening in that area and we've seen successful investment. I believe that's at risk if Jason Kenney comes forward.”

The future departures of Jansen and Cortes-Vargas bring the total number of NDP members who’ve publicly stated they won’t seek re-election in 2019 to eight: Bob Turner, Bob Wanner, Michael Connolly, Jamie Kleinsteuber, Brian Mason, and Brandy Payne. A ninth person, Stephanie McLean, announced her resignation earlier in January.  

Deputy Premier Sarah Hoffman denied the list means anything significant.

“There are many conservatives who aren't running again and I don't think people are jumping to conclusions there,” she said.

Alberta’s premier, Rachel Notley, has only said the next provincial election will happen sometime between March 1 and May 31, when it legally has to.

With files from Nicole Weisberg