OTTAWA - New Democrat MP Denise Savoie is resigning her seat in the House of Commons.

The Victoria MP announced Thursday she's quitting politics and returning to private life as of Aug. 31.

The 69-year-old cited a "health warning" from her doctor for her decision.

"My doctor gave me a health warning this spring and recommended that I adopt a more balanced lifestyle, without the travel and physical demands of the job of an MP from Western Canada," she said in a written statement.

NDP Leader Tom Mulcair was on hand for Savoie's announcement at her Victoria constituency office.

He said Savoie will be "missed by all of her colleagues regardless of political affiliation."

Savoie was first elected in 2006 and currently serves as deputy Speaker in the Commons.

Her resignation leaves the NDP with 101 seats and raises the possibility of as many as four byelections this fall.

Calgary Centre is vacant following the surprise resignation of Conservative MP Lee Richardson last spring.

The Toronto-area riding of Durham is also vacant following the resignation of Bev Oda, the beleaguered international co-operation minister.

A byelection may also be necessary in the Toronto riding of Etobicoke Centre, where defeated Liberal MP Borys Wrzesnewskyj successfully sought a court order to overturn the result of the 2011 election.

Tory MP Ted Opitz, who won the riding by 26 votes, has appealed the matter to the Supreme Court of Canada, which has yet to rule on the case.

Also on HuffPost:

Loading Slideshow...

  • Recent Federal Floor Crossers

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2012/01/10/lise-st-denis-ndp-join-liberals_n_1196406.html?ref=canada-politics">Lise St-Denis' defection from the NDP to the Liberals</a> has put crossing the floor back in the news. Here's a list of other recent federal floor crossers.

  • Lise St-Denis

    The newly elected NDP MP jumped ship to the Liberals just 5 months after the federal election of 2011. St-Denis faced harsh criticism from those who saw the move as disregarding the will of her constituents. Many argued that voters in St-Denis' Quebec riding had voted for Jack Layton and not for her.

  • Belinda Stronach

    In 2005, Belinda Stronach, Conservative MP and daughter of billionaire Frank Stronach, crossed the floor and joined Paul Martin's Liberal Party. She was named Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development and Minister responsible for Democratic Renewal.

  • David Emerson

    In 2006, Liberal MP David Emerson joined the Conservatives just two weeks after being elected. He was named Minister of International Trade and Minister for the Pacific Gateway and the Vancouver-Whistler Olympics.

  • Wajid Khan

    In 2007, Wajid Khan jumped from the Liberals to the Conservatives after then-Liberal leader Stéphane Dion stated that Khan would not be permitted to continue in his role as an advisor to Stephen Harper.

  • Carolyn Parrish

    Carolyn Parish was suspended from the Liberal caucus in 2004 after stomping on a George Bush doll for a "This Hour Has 22 Minutes" sketch. The outspoken MP subsequently decided to sit as an independent.

  • Keith Martin

    In 2004, Canadian Alliance MP Keith Martin renounced his party to sit as an independent and announced he would seek to run as a Liberal in the next election. His move was a response to the merger between the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservatives. He would go on to win the Liberal nomination in his riding and the election and sat in the Liberal caucus until his retirement in 2011.

  • Bob Rae

    While Bob Rae isn't technically a floor crosser (he didn't switch parties while sitting as an MP) the interim Liberal leader did switch parties. Rae governed Ontario has the province's NDP premier from 1990-1995. In 1996 he resigned as leader of the Ontario NDP and in 1998 resigned from the party altogether. He returned to politics in 2006, joining the Liberal Party and running for its leadership. He was defeated in his leadership bid by Stéphane Dion, but won the federal riding of Toronto Centre in 2007.

  • Ujjal Dosanjh

    Ujjal Dosanjh shares a similar story to Bob Rae. He served as NDP premier of B.C. from 2000-2001, but later joined the federal Liberals. He served as an Liberal MP from 2004 until his defeat in the most recent federal election.