Liberal delegates gather in Toronto to select next premier
Posted January 26, 2013 9:52 am.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO (NEWS1130) – More than 2,000 Ontario Liberal Party delegates have gathered in Toronto this weekend, where they will select a new leader and premier for the province.
The next premier is widely expected to be a woman, either former Windsor West MPP Sandra Pupatello or Toronto Don Valley West MPP Kathleen Wynne.
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Pupatello, considered by many to be the front-runner, has dismissed criticism from her closest rival, Kathleen Wynne, who argued that because she doesn’t have a seat she wouldn’t be able to recall the legislature until first winning a byelection.
“I think we’re going to get to work right away, I hope that I’m very successful, my premiere priority is winning this leadership,” Pupatello said.
“As soon as this is done, we’re going to hunker down and get to work right away, I think the people of Ontario are going to be impressed with the speed that we’re going to do that,” she added.
Wynne, meanwhile, said people don’t like the fact that the legislature has been idle since Dalton McGuinty announced his resignation last October.
She has promised to recall the legislature by February 19 if she wins the leadership.
On Friday the party paid tribute to McGuinty, who gave a speech and said his emotional final goodbyes ahead of the convention.
The convention is a delegated event, which means that only delegates elected by the party can vote for the next Liberal leader. The delegates were chosen at leadership election meetings on Jan. 12-13.
Based on official results, former MPP Sandra Pupatello has a slight lead in the race with 504 committed first-ballot delegates, while MPP Kathleen Wynne came in second with 463 delegates.
The convention is being held at Ryerson University’s Mattamy Athletic Centre at the former Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto.
