Toronto, ON
According to a leaked Liberal party memo obtained by The Sentinel Dispatch, Ontario premier Kathleen Wynne sought to retain her position for life as recently as six weeks ago.
In the memo to party officials, Wynne suggests that "this province simply can't afford an election at this point; moreover, it would be in Ontarians best interests if they had stability in this position long-term."
The 2011 Ontario Election cost taxpayers $79.2 million dollars.
According to a Liberal party official who spoke with The Sentinel Dispatch on condition of anonymity, Wynne went as far as consulting with the Lieutenant-General of Ontario as to the legality of such a proposition.
"I'm not surprised that Kathleen would want to hold onto power indefinitely," said the source who has worked at Queens Park for the past two years. "She feels that she was part of getting this province in the mess that it is currently in, and thus she feels obligated to be around for the long haul in order to fix things."
Under the Dalton McGuinty/Kathleen Wynne Liberals, Ontario has seen a disastrous fire sale of Hydro One, a doubling of the provincial debt, a billion dollar eHealth boondoggle, and a gas plant scandal that has cost Ontarians over $1 billion dollars to date.
Reaction to the news has been swift and stinging. Lloyd McClintock, 64, of Tavistock called the report "more than troubling. If this were ever to come to pass, people of all political stripes would be marching on Queens Park, mad as hell." Wendy Lampson, 56, of Ajax said "this isn't China. Our leaders can't simply decide that they will hold power forever."
Last week, Chinese President Xi Jingpin was reappointed with no limit on the number of terms he can serve.
Premier Wynne's office refused to comment on the story prior to publication.
From Our Toronto Bureau
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