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editionap.ca
Shock and surprise as McGuinty steps down
D’aoust
“After 16 y ears as leader of the Ontario Liberal Part y and after nine y ears as pre m ier, it’s ti m e for renewal, it’s ti m e for the ne x t Liberal pre m ier,” McGuint y said. “It’s ti m e for the ne x t set of Liberal ideas to guide our province forward.” McGuint y , 57, was first elected to the On- tario legislature in 1990 and beca m e Liberal leader si x y ears later. In 2003, he beca m e pre m ier of Ontario, and also the m an who led the part y to back-to-back m ajorit y gov- ern m ents. Third ti m e was not the char m , though, as his last re-election victor y saw hi m heading a m inorit y govern m ent with the Liberals just one seat ahead of the co m - bined Opposition, even after a pair of re- cent b y -elections. The past y ear has seen the govern m ent struggle to get legislation passed, including a controversial two- y ear freeze on public sector wages, ai m ed at helping to eli m i- nate deficit budgets and give the province a chance to start clearing its own debt. Mc- Neel y , who has been a Liberal MPP for close to 15 y ears and was asked b y McGuint y hi m self to step forward as a candidate for the Ottawa-Orléans riding, said he under- stands the pre m ier’s reasons for proroguing the legislature. “Nothing was getting done,” McNeel y said. “I think the proroguing of the (provin- cial) parlia m ent was the right thing to do.” McNeel y also said he accepts McGuint y ’s decision to step down as pre m ier and as leader of the part y . “For hi m , and for Ontario, and for the Lib- erals, it was the right thing to do,” said Mc- Neel y , adding that McGuint y ’s govern m ent had m ade great strides in health care and education and job creation for the province. “I think he’s leaving a good legac y .” “I support his decision,” said Crack, “fro m both a professional standpoint, and a per- sonal standpoint. A lot of difficult decisions have been m ade, but the y were the right decisions for Ontario as a whole.” The pre m ier’s decision to ask for prorogu- ing of the legislature has co m e under fire fro m the Opposition. But McGuint y argued that e x tended closure of the legislature is necessar y for the govern m ent to work out an agree m ent with the public sector on the wage-freeze issue, and also provide ti m e for both the govern m ent and Opposition parties to work out a wa y to m ake the leg- islature work m ore s m oothl y after the Lib- erals have na m ed a new leader and a new pre m ier. McGuint y has asked the president of the Ontario Liberal Part y to call a leadership convention “at the earliest possible oppor- tunit y ” and also said he will sta y on as pre- m ier until a new leader is chosen. McNeel y noted there are several strong potential contenders for the position but he has no favourites of his own. “I think it’s going to be a challenging lead- ership race,” he said. “I’ m going to sit back, see who runs, and decide then who to sup- port.” Crack, who is one of several rookie MPPs following the last provincial election, e x - pressed e x cite m ent at the prospect of a leadership ca m paign. “As an MPP with one y ear under my belt,” he said, “it’s an e x citing ti m e.”
Cuerrier
GREGG CHAMBERLAIN gregg.chamberlain@eap.on.ca
TORONTO | Premier Dalton McGuinty sur- prised everyone Monday night when he announced during a special caucus meet- ing that he is stepping down as both the leader of the Ontario government and its provincial Liberal party. “There was a lot of speculation,”said Grant Crack, Liberal MPP for Glengarr y -Prescott- Russell, regarding the topic of the special caucus session. “It was a shocker for us,” said Phil McNeel y , Liberal MPP for Ottawa-Orlé- ans, during a Tuesda y phone interview. During m edia scru m s following the cau- cus m eeting, McGuint y said it was ti m e for hi m to step back fro m the political li m elight in Ontario and let so m e “new blood” take charge. OBJECTIF 2012 350 000 $
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