By Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Friday, August 16, 2013
Tory MPPs scrap over Hudak leadership
Controversy over whether Progressive Conservative members should be allowed to debate Tim Hudak’s leadership at next month’s party convention has triggered a war of words among Tory MPPs.
House Leader Jim Wilson blasted two of his caucus colleagues for wanting to permit party activists to table a motion on a leadership review at the Sept. 21-22 conference in London, Ont.
Wilson accused MPPs Frank Klees and Randy Hillier, runners-up to Hudak in the 2009 leadership, of putting their own ambitions ahead of the party’s fortunes.
“They can’t accept the fact that they lost the leadership — one of them lost twice — and just keep running that old film over again,” he said, referring to Klees’ 2004 defeat at the hands of previous leader John Tory.
“If anyone thinks they’re helping the PC Party of Ontario … or helping to defeat the corrupt governing Liberals by calling for a leadership review, then they need to have their heads examined.” Asked if the two MPPs should be turfed from caucus, Wilson shook his head.
“I don’t think so, really. They’re good people. They’re just a little misguided on this,” he said, adding “this is just a distraction.”
Since the Aug. 1 byelections — in which the Tories won one seat while the governing Liberals and the New Democrats each took two — Hudak has faced questions about why he didn’t gain more of the five former Grit ridings. (Source: The Toronto Star)
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