Ontario teachers are staging a noisy protest outside the convention. Go, teachers!
Premier McGuinty resigns
P&P: Hudak brought out a White Paper yesterday that says he will cut teacher's support workers and cut full day kindergarten. Wynne and Pupatello haven't commented yet.
P&P: David Peterson is being interviewed, says both Pupatello and Wynne are excellent candidates - he's comfortable with either one.
Ontario teachers are staging a noisy protest outside the convention. Go, teachers!
Two of my neighbours drove to T.O today to take part. They're OSSTF members. They were picketing outside of our MPP McMeekin's office last week. It's hard to see how the Libs can dig themselves out of the hole they're in. I did wonder whether they aren't using the Bill 115 issues as a smokescreen for some serious financial shenanigans or even scandals that we don't know about yet.
BTW, I read somewhere yesterday that Bill Davis supports Wynne. Compared to some of his successors he looks pretty good in hindsight.
Bill Davis went to bat for me when he was Education Minister for Ontario - I met him a couple of times, yes, he's conservative, but otherwise a nice guy.
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NDP leads in Forum poll regardless of Liberal leader:
As Liberals choose Premier Dalton McGuinty’s successor, a new poll suggests the governing party has a steep hill to climb with voters regardless of who wins Saturday’s leadership vote at Maple Leaf Gardens.
With Sandra Pupatello and Kathleen Wynne in what has emerged as a two-person race, a survey by Forum Research showed little bounce for the minority Grits.
“They didn’t get a lift out of this contest,” Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said Friday of the campaign triggered by McGuinty’s decision to step down last October.
Forum’s automated telephone survey of 1,108 Ontarians — conducted Wednesday and Thursday — found the Liberals mired in third place no matter which top candidate wins.
A Pupatello-led Liberal party was at 26 per cent behind Andrea Horwath’s NDP at 34 per cent and Tim Hudak’s Progressive Conservatives at 31 per cent. The Greens, led by Mike Schreiner, were at 7 per cent. The result was virtually identical with Wynne at the helm.
Former Parkdale-High Park MPP Gerard Kennedy, well behind in the delegate tally and unlikely to win Saturday, fared better with 30 per cent, to 32 per cent for the NDP and 31 per cent for the Tories, with the Greens still at 7 per cent.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/politics/article/1320295--ontario-lib...
From a friend in Ontario: "Sandra Pupatello doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all."
From a friend in Ontario: "Sandra Pupatello doesn't give me the warm fuzzies at all."
If that's the case, Boom Boom, then...!
GO, SANDRA, GO!!!
Best news yet for the NDP in the next Ontario election.
Maybe Kathleen could be persuaded to jump to the ONDP.
From the first ballot results, and the local delegate counts, we can see how the ex-officio delegates and the 67 "independent" delegates voted. (Note the 67 were almost all Glen Murray supporters, and many followed him to Wynne. Note also that this assumes a 100% local delegate attendance):
Wynne: 129
Pupatello 90
Hoskins: 45 (sympathy votes?)
Kennedy: 21
Sousa: 18
Takhar: lost 9 somehow.
Total: 294.
Hoskins has endorsed Wynne (as expected) and Takhar has now endorsed Pupatello (also as expected, although he missed the deadline to withdraw so his name remains on the ballot). Look to see a lot of leakage from the Sousa camp as delegates see the writing on the wall and decide to back other candidates (mostly Pupatello). If Kennedy can hold his delegates like he did in the 2006 federal race and endorses Wynne, she just might scrape through, but my money's still on a third-ballot Pupatello victory.
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Me too. Assuming Takhar and Hospin bring there delagates, that gives Sandra the edge as Takhar has alot more then Hospins.
Of course that leaves which way sousa, and Kenndy are going to go.
Honestly though, there's no bad result here for the NDP as long as Kenndy is prevented from winning. Wynn is tainted by being in Dalton's cabinate during the minority and Sandra's seen as the rightwing candiate and she lacks a seat.
Kathleen Wynne supported removing educators democratic rights to collective bargaining so I suggest that she's not NDP bench material BB.
Good point - I had forgotten about that.
Pupatello: "I will bring the Opposition to its knees". Fighting words, those. Have you looked outside, Sandra?
Sandra's seen as the rightwing candiate and she lacks a seat.
Given the history in the two Windsor ridings, where the provincial PCs have come a poor third in Windsor-Tecumseh since 1990, and in Windsor West since 2003, I can see them running a token campaign and letting their voters vote to "stop Pupatello." She could easily lose the by-election to the NDP.
Agreed, except that I think she will dodge that bullet by running in Duncion's riding instead, he's already offered to move aside for her. We will see, the results of the second ballot should be released soon.
Agreed, except that I think she will dodge that bullet by running in Duncan's riding instead, he's already offered to move aside for her.
That's Windsor-Tecumseh, even worse than her old Windsor West rding.
Awesome, hope we put up someone great to challenge her.
Impressive photo of the protest outside Maple Leaf Gardens: https://twitter.com/and0bot/status/295267481822576640/photo/1
(I don't know how to embed a photo here, hope the liink works).
I think Wynne would be a better choice for Ontario generally -- she has many positive characteristics and (I think) a genuine commitment to the public good. But, I agree with those who consider Pupatello a better opponent for gaining NDP seats. Besides being a right-winger (a consituency already adequately served by Hudak) and not having a seat or any certainty of winning one, she has a most unfortunate name lending itself to many scatalogical permutations. You couldn't do much with McGuinty (McGuilty perhaps) or Hudak (Who dat?) but expect to see some witty variations on Sandra's surname should she win.
The second ballot results are more than an hour late. If the Liberals can't run a convention, how can they run the province?
David Peterson sounds pathetic. "We do not speak for big business or the big union bosses".
Well TorStar editorialized their support for Pupatello and basically has been riding their horse daily. And there too, it is seen as a match only between the 2 female candidates.
And holy crap, did you see WHY the Start supported Pupatello? One of the reasons the Star mentioned is because Wynne could be "unelectable" because she's a lesbian! Jebus. What year is this again?
Kenndy 285
Pupatello 817
Sousa 203
Takhar 18
Wynne 750
Pupatello in the lead again, now by 67 votes. Going to third ballot. At this rate, they should be done by midnight. And for only 2077 voters! Gross incompetence.
ETA: Kennedy camp has moved - maybe he's withdrawing now?
At this rate, they should be done by midnight.
Unlike 1996 when it took two months to run the election. (November 30-December 1.)
Pupatello in the lead again, now by 67 votes. Going to third ballot. At this rate, they should be done by midnight. And for only 2077 voters! Gross incompetence.
About 3 1/2 hours between ballots. Who are Sousa and Kennedy likely to support and will their delegates follow them? I assume that they will drop off now as it is obvious they can't win. Not quite midnight, but another few hours. I agree that Pupatello is likely to win, as Wynne needed to move ahead on the second ballot I think.
CBC reporting a rumour that both Sousa and Kennedy will go to Wynne. Not substantiated yet. if that happens, it's over.
ETA: Sousa is moving.... to the "progressive" candidate....
12 fewer total votes on the second round than the first.
I wonder who's leaving the convention early!
Sousa waiting... maybe to move with Kennedy....
Looks like Sousa is moving to Wynne. It's done! Only question now is who Kennedy endorses.
Sousa's gone to Wynne.
If Kennedy does the same, Wynne should take it.
CBC: Kennedy releasing his delegates to go where they want to go.
Third ballot: a battle between Pupatello and Wynne. No other names on ballot.
Kennedy is reportedly releasing his delegates.
Too scared to back one front-runner or the other?
Kennedy endorses Wynne - it's over.
A female premier. Cool.
Well, Wynne is better than Pupatello, anyhow. It's not saying much.
There were tons of us outside the convention rallying, by the way! 30,000 - should've heard the noise in the Carlton street corridor in front of the Maple Leaf Gardens!
Well, I guess we'll have to see how well Wynne works with the opposition. Even with the ONDP leading the latest polls, Horwath may not want to pull the trigger at a time when the voters are so unpredictable.
Yeah Sousa and Gerald, its too much for Sandra to beat, Wynn's made the comeback. This to my knoweldge will be the first Lesbian Premier. I still hope Andrea crushes her, but still its a first which is good.
Kenndy has secured his place as the Kingmaker.
Always a bridemaid, never a bride :p
That alone is a victory for the NDP.
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So Kathleen Wynne appoints Donna Cansfield (Etobicoke Centre, ready to retire) or Mike Colle (Eglinton-Lawrence, also ready to retire) to some position, opens a seat for Kennedy, and appoints him to cabinet in anticipation of him winning the by-election.
The media has been portraying Wynne as the right-wing candidate. That will probably be an easy idea to continue. Also, Toronto does not help the Liberals electorally, as janfromthebruce has noted. I think Pupatello is more noxious to the NDP's electoral prospects than Wynne.
Congratulations to Kathleen Wynne for making history as Ontario's first female Premier & first openly-gay Premier!
The Ontario Liberal Party makes history twice in the same day!
Kennedy the Kingmaker for the third time - the only question is how big is a cabinet post reward.
The media has been portraying Wynne as the right-wing candidate. That will probably be an easy idea to continue. Also, Toronto does not help the Liberals electorally, as janfromthebruce has noted. I think Pupatello is more noxious to the NDP's electoral prospects than Wynne.
As I've suggested before: Wynne had the Red Tories, and Pupatello had the Blue Liberals.
And re Pupatello being more NDP-damaging: chalk it up to populism. (Sorta like: Wynne had the "Smitherman Liberals", Pupatello had the "Ford Liberals". The former of whom are solider *as* Liberals.)
Someone on CBC just breathed a sigh of relief - if Wynne wins, probably won't be an election for a year or so. Seems to be the sentiment that Wynne can work with Andrea Horwath - no such sentiment with Pupatello.
Results in less than ten minutes...
It's Wynne - by over 200 votes.