Toronto MPP seeks leadership

Glen Murray, MPP for Toronto Centre, is stepping into the ring to become the next leader of the Ontario Liberal Party, he announced Nov. 6 in a press release.

“It’s time for renewal, for our party, our government and for Ontario,” Murray told a packed crowd at Maple Leaf Gardens, where the new leader will be chosen Jan. 25-26, 2013. “We are a party of ideas, of action and achievement. I have new ideas that will renew our vision and build on our successes — ideas that will work so we can keep Ontario great.”

Murray said his campaign will be built on five main ideas for renewal for Ontario families and the economy:
-Tax cuts for the middle class and small business;
-No-money-down university or college tuition;
-Cities and towns that work;
-Government that listens;
-Smart government.

His no-money-down university and college program will let students enter post-secondary school without having to come up with large amounts upfront for tuition and fees, according to the news release.

The next Ontario Liberal leader automatically becomes premier, succeeding Dalton McGuinty. In keeping with the rules for the leadership race, Murray called the premier on Nov. 3 to resign from his cabinet post as minister of Training, Colleges and Universities.

Murray was elected MPP in 2010 and has also served as Minister of Research and Innovation. He is a former Mayor of Winnipeg and has also served as President and CEO of the Canadian Urban Institute and Chair of the National Round Table on the Environment and the Economy.

He is the first Ontario Liberal to officially announce his candidacy for the leadership.

“It’s time to begin the next chapter — to renew the Ontario Liberal Party and to renew Ontario,” Murray said in the release.