Ontario’s newest premier-designate, Kathleen Wynne, is Ontario’s first female and first openly lesbian premier. According to Toronto Star, she is a “savvy, gutsy, progressive, reflective politician” who “would probably make the best premier”. Ontarians are hopeful that Wynne will bring fresh and positive changes to our lives in terms of health, food, and especially education. Wynne is the MPP for Don Valley West: MGCI’s constituency.
Starting her political career in 2000, the Torontonian was first elected as a public school trustee in Ward 8 York West. She then entered provincial politics, moving through the cabinet as the Minister of Education (2006 – 2010), Transportation (2010 – 2011), Municipal Affairs and Housing (2011 – 2012), and Aboriginal Affairs. Winning with 1150 votes to her opponent’s 866, she became Ontario’s premier-designate on 26 January 2013.
In hopes of improving our economy and reducing the fiscal gap, Wynne has said last month that she is willing to work hard to eliminate the $12 billion deficit by 2017-18, find room for small businesses to expand, and to help welfare recipients find jobs. She cited strengthening Northern Ontario and other rural agricultural areas a priority as well, and hopes efforts will further economic growth for our province. Speaking to her experience as the former minister of transportation, the idea of investing in bridges, roads, and public transit is high on her website’s to-do list in allowing Ontario to prosper. In order to raise Ontario’s quality of living, Wynne said she believes in protecting our health care while reducing spending amounts, as well as mending together the relationships with Ontario teachers so that it will make “the experience for young people better”. ”I will never stop working to bring people together to find common ground,” said Wynne on her website.
And indeed she hasn’t. Wynne has already been made much progress, including hosting discussions with teachers’ unions and swapping out the cabinets. Despite worries about Wynne’s ignorance of rural Ontario’s pressing issues, she has made promises to serve as the Minister of Agriculture. As both premier and minister, Wynne hopes to regulate urban sprawl and the amount of new wind turbines appearing in rural Ontario, drawing her closer to the farming community and understanding their needs.
This confident political figure has already left good impressions on Ontarians: “The right candidate for the leadership of our Party can help Ontario navigate these difficult times, and find a way to ensure the best interests of everyone in our province are served. Someone who does not see our province divided as left or right, but someone who takes the middle ground and is a consensus builder. The right candidate is Kathleen Wynne.”, said the minister of Labour, Linda Jeffrey.
