OTTAWA - Martha Hall Findlay, one of the most prominent female stars in the Liberal firmament, won't take a second shot at becoming federal party leader.
The Toronto MP announced Tuesday that she won't join the race to succeed Stephane Dion.
Her decision increases the likelihood that there will be no women candidates on the ballot when Liberals vote in May to choose a new leader.
Brampton MP Ruby Dhalla is the only other woman who is considering jumping into the contest but she would be a long shot in a race that is shaping up into a rematch between the 2006 front-runners, Michael Ignatieff and Bob Rae.
Dhalla could not be reached for comment Tuesday.
Hall Findlay was a long shot in 2006, but she won admiration for her spunky campaign, in which she criss-crossed the country in a big red bus.
She was the only woman to stay in the 2006 contest to the end, ultimately throwing her support to Dion after coming last on the first ballot.
In sticking it out, Hall Findlay became something of a beacon to women in the Liberal party, which made her decision to sit out the current race all the more difficult.
"It has been agonizing," she said Tuesday in an interview. "I really do feel strongly that one shouldn't make a decision like this just because of gender."
Hall Findlay noted that during the 2006 contest, she repeatedly said she was not in the race just because she was a woman. But when the two other female contenders -- Carolyn Bennett and Hedy Fry -- dropped out, she suddenly felt "an added responsibility" to give women a voice in the contest.
"It's a cart before the horse in my view to say we should have a woman, just because of gender," she said.
"If we don't have any women presenting themselves this time then that tells me we don't have enough women right now who feel they have the ability, who feel they have the organization and the resources to be able to do this. That's the problem."
Hall Findlay said the fact that she still owes about $170,000 from the last leadership contest "played a big role" in her decision to sit this one out.
Ultimately, she said she concluded there are other ways than contesting the leadership to contribute to the revitalization and rebuilding of the party.
Among other things, she said she wants to work on recruiting more women and helping them develop the expertise needed to reach for the top.
Fellow Toronto MP Rae and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc are the only declared candidates for the leadership.
Ignatieff, also a Toronto MP, is expected to formally launch his campaign on Friday.
Others considering throwing their hats in the ring include Toronto MP Gerard Kennedy, Montreal MP Denis Coderre, former cabinet minister Martin Cauchon, and Ottawa MP David McGuinty.
Kennedy, who was the kingmaker in 2006, is expected to announce his decision within the next day or two.
Hall Findlay said she has not yet decided who, if anyone, to support and indicated that she may remain neutral. She is touted by some as a possible co-chair for the leadership convention.
"I am concerned that the upcoming leadership will create or exacerbate some divisions in the Liberal party and I want to do whatever I can to be a bridge builder."
Hall Findlay and Kennedy, who also has a debt of just under $200,000 from the last contest, were both miffed last week when the Quebec wing of the party proposed prohibiting those with debts from 2006 from running this time.
The party's national executive shot down the proposal last weekend when it established rules -- including a $90,000 entry fee and a $1.5-million spending limit -- for the contest.
Hall Findlay said the rules seem reasonable and had no bearing on her decision.
