Ontario responds to McGuinty resignation

Oct 16, 2012 | News

By HumberNews

COURTESY WIKICOMMONS

Shaleni McBain

Reaction continued all day Tuesday to news that Ontario Premier Dalton McGunity is stepping down.

McGuinty announced his plans to leave in a press conference on Monday night and at the same time word came down that the legislature had been prorogued.

“While I want to thank the premier, I also want to be clear that we don’t support prorogation. The people who make this province work everyday sent us here to do a job and that work shouldn’t stop while the Liberal party focuses on leadership,” NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said in a statement sent to Humber News.

Horwath also thanked McGuinty for his years of service to the residents of Ontario.

“I understand the premier won’t be leaving immediately and I’m sure he knows I plan to keep debating him. I hope before too long he will agree: the work we do here is too important to simply stop now. His own career here proves it,” said the statement from Horwath.

Terry Hamilton, President of the Ontario Teachers Federation, told Humber News that it is difficult to predict the long-term effects of McGuinty’s stepping down.

“We appreciate the change and the approaches when he first came into office,” said Hamilton. “We appreciated being able to sit down with government, and although we didn’t always see eye to eye, they did try to incorporate our suggestions,” he said.

LISTEN: Humber News reporter Stephen Donkers gets student reaction to McGuinty’s exit strategy.

“He has certainly has been a strong supporter of public education which is a large platform for further education in Toronto,” said Hamilton.

Cheri DiNovo, MPP for Parkdale-High Park, said in an interview with Humber News she is finding constituents to be upset.

“We need to work, we were elected to work,” said DiNovo. “He shut down government in Ontario, essentially. It isn’t necessary.”

DiNovo said she is calling on McGuinty to bring government back, so her and her colleagues can get back to work.

Chris Whitaker, President of Humber College, says he was surprised by the announcement.

“I would say that during the McGuinty time at Queen’s Park, the post-secondary system – and colleges in particular – have really benefited from his government’s focus on investing in education. Clearly it started on elementary and secondary but all the way along we have seen new investments – unprecedented investments going in to post-secondary system during his time in government.”

“I’m concerned that this could lead to a potential provincial election,” said Steven Staples, President of the Rideau Institute, a research and consulting group based in Ottawa.

 

Twitter reactions regarding his stepping down: