Local Liberal candidates have weighed in on a dramatic announcement made by their leader.
Ontario Liberal leader Kathleen Wynne announced Saturday that she is conceding the premiership of the province after the latest poll numbers show the Liberals trailing badly behind Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives and Andrea Horwath's NDP. Some polls show the projected Liberal seat count is so low that the party is in danger of losing its official status at Queen's Park.
However, Wynne also announced that she would continue to campaign for Liberal candidates across Ontario, and she is encouraging people to vote Liberal in Thursday's election. Wynne said this is to ensure neither the PC nor the NDP receives a majority.
The Liberal candidates in three of Windsor-Essex's ridings have reacted to the news that Wynne is not expecting to be premier in the next government.
Windsor West candidate Rino Bortolin did not expect this kind of announcement from the premier, but he calls it an example of her Ontario-first style of leadership.
With poll data indicating the possibility of a PC or NDP minority government, Bortolin told BlackburnNewsWindsor.com this is the latest example of Wynne's ability to make the tough calls.
"Our system encourages and also thrives under minority governments at times, and this is one of those times," said Bortolin. "She put aside her own personal interests for the good of the people of Ontario."
Meanwhile, Windsor-Tecumseh candidate Remy Boulbol said in a written statement that Wynne has been an "inspiration to me as a woman looking to enter politics," and that the Liberal platform remains best for Ontario.
"Her message to Ontarians is one that I believe deeply in, and one that I hope will galvanise our province to ensure that we do not go backwards in our progress," said Boulbol. "Electing a Doug Ford government will do exactly that."
Finally, Essex candidate Kate Festeryga has alluded to her personal relationship with Wynne, saying the premier has "consistently provided the best plan to build this province up. Her actions only further my respect for her."
However, in a statement of her own, Festeryga hopes that Ontarians wary of a Liberal government will now be able to focus on the party and not the leader in the campaign's waning days.
"They have seen the results of our 15 years of government with more jobs, a stronger economy and investments in mental health, hospitals and schools, but they simply don’t like her. So she has taken herself out of the equation. She will no longer be premier," said Festeryga. "But this news doesn’t change the fact that it’s always been a change election here in Essex."
Ontarians go to the polls Thursday.
