Two more BC Liberal backbenchers have announced they won’t seek re-election in 2013, bringing the party’s total number of retiring MLAs to 12.

Joan McIntyre and Rob Howard both issued statements Tuesday announcing their retirement, neither mentioning embattled Premier Christy Clark by name.

“The time has come to spend more time with my family,” said first-time MLA Howard, representative for Richmond Centre. “The demands of political life make this difficult, if not impossible.”

Howard noted that his wife has twice survived breast cancer, and said though she’s currently doing well they “have a few other things on our ‘bucket list’ we would like to accomplish.”

McIntyre, who has represented West Vancouver-Sea to Sky since 2005, said she never intended to serve more than two terms in the legislature.

“It has been a great privilege to serve this region for the last eight years, both before and after the 2010 Olympic Games, and I will continue to work hard for my constituents right up until the day the election is called,” McIntyre said.

Clark issued a statement of her own shortly after describing both Howard and McIntyre as “important members” of her caucus who will be missed.

On the same day, high-profile cabinet member Rich Coleman confirmed he would run again with the party in 2013.

“I’m strongly committed to Premier Christy Clark and the rest of the BC Liberal team,” Coleman said, taking a jab at the NDP’s economic policies of the 1990s. “I feel as strongly as ever that my children and grandchildren’s future needs to be protected.”

The Fort Langley-Aldergrove MLA has been the minister of energy and mines since Clark’s last cabinet shuffle, which also placed the province’s alcohol regulations under his purview.

Coleman, who served as housing minister prior to the switch, has since made several headlines for his efforts to loosen B.C. liquor laws.

Last week, four big name Liberals announced their pending retirements, including Finance Minister Kevin Falcon, Education Minister George Abbott, Children’s Minister Mary McNeil and Clark’s parliamentary secretary John Les.

In light of the resignations, another cabinet shuffle is expected shortly.

Three other Liberals have already abandoned ship since the premier took office, including John van Dongen, who left in March to join the fledgling BC Conservative party.

Port Moody-Coquitlam MLA Iain Black quit in August 2011 and Chilliwack-Hope MLA Barry Penner left his post in January 2012, both to pursue other career options.