ZR
11-22-2018, 06:11 PM
Former Premier Kathleen Wynne says she’s sticking around as an MPP – for now – even as the Progressive Conservative government paves the way for her exit.
“You’re stuck with me,” Wynne joked with reporters on Tuesday.
Wynne, who led the Liberals to defeat in June, has been a constant fixture in the legislature, asking questions of Premier Doug Ford, defending her record and even introducing a private member’s bill.
While Wynne hasn’t made her future plans known, the Ford government unintentionally gave the former Premier an exit strategy last week by raising the threshold to become a recognized party (http://%20toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-pcs-to-increase-number-of-seats-needed-for-official-party-status-1.4175036) from 8 seats to 12.
With a lower threshold, every Liberal seat in the legislature was precious, as the party was one riding shy of regaining official status, which comes with increased parliamentary privileges and millions in caucus research and administrative funding.
A higher bar for official party status put the Liberal caucus far away from the goal posts, making even Wynne’s seventh seat almost irrelevant.
Wynne called the change “vindictive” but said the higher threshold hasn’t shifted her focus away from representing the 1.1 million Ontarians who voted for the Liberal party in June and her constituents in her riding of Don Valley West.
“I’m here,” Wynne said moments before entering the legislature to make a private member’s statement on Bill 47. The bill rolls back labour reforms (http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/pc-government-to-pass-bill-to-freeze-minimum-wage-eliminate-paid-sick-days-1.4185507) previously introduced by her Liberal government.
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said Wynne hasn’t given him any indication of an “imminent departure” and that she has been focused on holding the current government to account as the party’s education critic.
“I see her as a member of our caucus, who’s devoted,” Fraser said, adding that he doesn’t see his predecessor’s presence as a distraction.
Wynne has become a frequent target for the Ford government, which has zeroed in a hidden deficit in the last Liberal budget of $15 billion, launched a select committee dedicated to putting the former government’s practices under the microscope (http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-plans-to-form-special-committee-to-probe-ontario-s-fiscal-situation-1.4106827) and, as recently as this week, blamed Wynne for funding cuts announced in the fall economic statement. (http://%20toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-gov-t-says-deficit-reduced-to-14-5b-with-new-suite-of-cost-cutting-measures-1.4178057)
Days after revealing that the government will not proceed with a French-language university in Toronto, Ford blamed Wynne for “lying to the people” about Ontario’s finances while promising Franco-Ontarians something the province couldn’t afford.
Wynne said she hopes Ford isn’t “motivated” by tearing down the former Liberal government’s policies, saying that she doesn’t believe it would be “good policy rationale.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4186149.1542808375!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg
“You’re stuck with me,” Wynne joked with reporters on Tuesday.
Wynne, who led the Liberals to defeat in June, has been a constant fixture in the legislature, asking questions of Premier Doug Ford, defending her record and even introducing a private member’s bill.
While Wynne hasn’t made her future plans known, the Ford government unintentionally gave the former Premier an exit strategy last week by raising the threshold to become a recognized party (http://%20toronto.ctvnews.ca/ontario-pcs-to-increase-number-of-seats-needed-for-official-party-status-1.4175036) from 8 seats to 12.
With a lower threshold, every Liberal seat in the legislature was precious, as the party was one riding shy of regaining official status, which comes with increased parliamentary privileges and millions in caucus research and administrative funding.
A higher bar for official party status put the Liberal caucus far away from the goal posts, making even Wynne’s seventh seat almost irrelevant.
Wynne called the change “vindictive” but said the higher threshold hasn’t shifted her focus away from representing the 1.1 million Ontarians who voted for the Liberal party in June and her constituents in her riding of Don Valley West.
“I’m here,” Wynne said moments before entering the legislature to make a private member’s statement on Bill 47. The bill rolls back labour reforms (http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/pc-government-to-pass-bill-to-freeze-minimum-wage-eliminate-paid-sick-days-1.4185507) previously introduced by her Liberal government.
Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser said Wynne hasn’t given him any indication of an “imminent departure” and that she has been focused on holding the current government to account as the party’s education critic.
“I see her as a member of our caucus, who’s devoted,” Fraser said, adding that he doesn’t see his predecessor’s presence as a distraction.
Wynne has become a frequent target for the Ford government, which has zeroed in a hidden deficit in the last Liberal budget of $15 billion, launched a select committee dedicated to putting the former government’s practices under the microscope (http://toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-plans-to-form-special-committee-to-probe-ontario-s-fiscal-situation-1.4106827) and, as recently as this week, blamed Wynne for funding cuts announced in the fall economic statement. (http://%20toronto.ctvnews.ca/ford-gov-t-says-deficit-reduced-to-14-5b-with-new-suite-of-cost-cutting-measures-1.4178057)
Days after revealing that the government will not proceed with a French-language university in Toronto, Ford blamed Wynne for “lying to the people” about Ontario’s finances while promising Franco-Ontarians something the province couldn’t afford.
Wynne said she hopes Ford isn’t “motivated” by tearing down the former Liberal government’s policies, saying that she doesn’t believe it would be “good policy rationale.
https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.4186149.1542808375!/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/derivatives/landscape_620/image.jpg