Mike Schreiner announced on Tuesday after a brief flirtation with the Ontario Liberals that he has decided to stay on as the leader of the Ontario Green Party.
The announcement came after 40 members from the Ontario Liberal Party inviting him in a public letter sent on Jan. 29 to run for their party’s leadership. The Liberals currently have eight seats in the legislature.
Schreiner said he remains focused on the need for climate actions.
In a video released on Tuesday, the Guelph MPP said he was deeply moved after speaking with members of his constituency who reminded him of the importance of Green Party’s voices for the community.
“So many people told me that having even one Green voice in the legislature makes a huge difference,” he said.
Schreiner has been the provincial Green leader since 2009 and was elected as MPP for Guelph in 2018.
In his announcement, Schreiner spoke out against the current provincial government and urged voters to transform their kind words of support into tangible actions against the Ford administration.
“The Ford government was elected by less than 18 per cent of eligible voters, and puts the private interests of wealthy insiders and speculators before people and the public good,” Schreiner said.
He criticized the government’s plan to privatize healthcare and develop the Greenbelt while doing nothing to reduce increasing costs of living in Ontario.
“People sincerely want a strong progressive movement to push back against the Ford government’s attack on our public health system, his scheme to pave over the greenbelt, farmland and wetland,” he said.
Schreiner also called out the Ford Government’s lack of initiative surrounding climate action.
“Ford’s utter disregard for climate action, affordable housing and our most vulnerable neighbours,” he said.
Schreiner said it was important now more than ever to have strong green voices at Queen’s Park.
“A strong opposition is vital to democracy,” he said.
Schreiner said there was still a long way to go in order to prepare for the climate challenges people will all be facing soon.
“There is so much unfinished work to make our province, our economy and our community climate ready,” he said.
Although Schreiner may have been briefly courted by some members of the Liberal Party, he said he remains committed to working towards a greener future.
“I will work across party lined to put people, planet and this province we love first,” he said.