Brown took too long to choose a seat, Wynne says

Premier to delay byelection until after federal campaign

Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown should have found a riding to run in sooner if he’d hoped to be sitting in the legislature when it resumes Sept. 14, Premier Kathleen Wynne suggests.

The comments came Thursday after Brown charged Wynne is playing “political games” by refusing to hold a byelection in the Orillia-area riding of Simcoe North until after the Oct. 19 federal election to avoid confusing voters.

“I didn’t think he would be waiting three months to decide that he wanted to come in to the house,” Wynne told reporters in Barrie.

Brown was elected leader May 9 and immediately brushed aside questions as to when he would seek a seat. That possibility opened up Wednesday, when veteran Simcoe North PC MPP Garfield Dunlop said he will step down Aug. 1.

But with speculation Prime Minister Stephen Harper will call an early start to the campaign, there is not enough time for a byelection that couldn’t happen until early September, said Deputy Premier Deb Matthews.

“We need to now wait until the federal election is done. I think it’s respectful to the people of the community.”

Brown took Wynne to task in a twopage open letter as Conservatives grumbled the Liberals could hold a snap vote as they did last winter in a Sudbury byelection.

Brown signalled he wants to hold Wynne’s feet to the fire on labour unrest with teachers that could affect the start of the school year or lead to province-wide strikes, on a recent credit-rating downgrade and on electricity prices.