Robert Benzie Rob Ferguson and Carys Mills
Queen’s Park Bureau
Premier Dalton McGuinty has announced he is resigning.
McGuinty, who has led the Liberals since 1996 and been premier since 2003, stunned his caucus Monday night announcing it’s time for “renewal” at the helm of the party.
“I’ve concluded that this is the right time for Ontario’s next Liberal Premier and our next set of ideas to guide our province forward,” McGuinty told his caucus. “Earlier today, I asked Yasir Naqvi, our party president, to convene a leadership convention at the earliest possible time.
“I will remain as Premier until that leadership convention. And it will be my honour to continue to serve as the MPP for Ottawa South until the next general election.”
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With his wife, Terri, in attendance and his closest campaign aides looking on, the premier said he was proroguing the Ontario legislature immediately.
That will allow time for the Grits to organize a leadership convention.
The move comes just one year after McGuinty won a third term as premier but saw his Liberals reduced to a minority government in the last election.
“Sixteen years ago, when I was elected leader of our Party, the Ontario Liberals had won exactly one election in fifty years,” McGuinty told his caucus. “We couldn’t do anything to help families because we couldn’t win an election. That’s changed. We’ve won three elections in a row.”
Minority governing and a sluggish economy have not been kind to the premier – he has been forced to go to war with teachers’ unions, once a key constituency, as his government imposed a wage freeze.
Fighting his emotions, the premier said he would stay on as Ottawa South MPP until the next election.
Among those mentioned as possible Liberal leadership contenders are embattled Energy Minister Chris Bentley, Finance Minister Dwight Duncan, Children and Youth Services Minister Eric Hoskins, Health Minister Deb Matthews, Training Colleges and Universities Minister Glen Murray, and party president Yasir Naqvi, the Ottawa Centre MPP.