Fate of Wynne, Liberals unclear after provincial vote
Kathleen Wynne has already acknowledged she won’t be Ontario’s premier after yesterday’s election, but the fate of her Liberal party now rests on how well her last-minute plea for support resonated with voters as they headed to the polls.
Wynne’s unexpected admission last weekend that her party wouldn’t win was followed by an appeal to elect as many Liberals as possible, a move she said was meant to prevent either of her NDP or Progressive Conservative rivals from achieving a majority.
Wynne, who was also fighting for re-election in her east Toronto riding, has declined to say whether she’ll stay on as party leader, saying only that those questions will be easier to answer once the ballots are tallied.
“I sincerely hope that I win my seat and I’m able to continue to represent the people of Don Valley West but the people of the province will make a decision,” said the Liberal leader, who took the party helm in 2013 and led it to a majority a year later.
The premier, who was first elected as a school trustee, has seen her personal popularity ratings drop over her time in government.
She has been criticized for decisions that include a spring budget that plunged the province back into deficit, the partial privatization of Hydro One, and the rate at which hikes to minimum wage are being brought in.