Wynne to call byelections for Aug. 1 in London, Windsor, Ottawa and Toronto
Posted Jul 3, 2013 06:30:25 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO – Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne will call five byelections Wednesday for August 1st, giving voters in several cities a chance to pass judgment on the scandal-plagued Liberal government.
Five Liberals have resigned since Wynne became premier in February, triggering the need for byelections in Windsor, London, Ottawa and two Toronto-area ridings. University of Ottawa political science professor, Caroline Andrew tells 1310News the Grits want to project a new image. “There’s still hostile feelings towards the Liberals and the old…McGuinty’s problems”.
The opposition hopes voters use the byelections to punish the government for the $585 million spent to cancel gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga, which they say was done to save Liberal seats in the 2011 election.
However, the Conservatives are downplaying their chances, saying a lot of local factors come into play during byelections that make the outcomes hard to predict. Andrew tells 1310News, Conservative leader Tim Hudak needs to make a strong showing. “Winning is the big question but even how badly or well you do is an important question too”.
The New Democrats say voters should hold the Liberals to account for the gas plants and other scandals such as the police probe of the Ornge air ambulance service.
Deputy premier Deb Matthews says she thinks local issues will be the determining factor in the byelections and doesn’t believe the cancelled gas plants will play a big role when people go to vote.
