Modeling Journey

Apr. 02, 2009

TORONTO - April 2, 2009 - While stressing the need for principled and conservative leadership as keys to electoral success for the party, Niagara West-Glanbrook MPP Tim Hudak today announced he would run for the leadership of the PC Party of Ontario.

“The PC Party of Ontario wins elections when we speak plainly, and offer conservative ideas that reflect the values, hopes and dreams of middle class Ontarians,” said Hudak. “I am running for leader because the people of this province want a Premier who is dedicated to working night and day to build a better future than the one being built today by Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals.”

Ontario has suffered under five years of Dalton McGuinty’s leadership. The province has lost almost 300,000 manufacturing jobs, and Ontario’s unemployment rate is higher than the national average. Middle class families are paying higher taxes to fund huge increases in government spending, but are not seeing any real results. Hudak believes that the path we’re on isn’t working, yet for Dalton McGuinty it is business as usual.

Hudak was joined by almost half of his caucus colleagues for the announcement at Queen’s Park. To date, eleven PC Caucus members have offered their endorsement of Hudak’s campaign.

“Tim is the person to unite and energize our party behind a winning conservative vision,” said John Yakabuski, MPP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke. “Tim has the energy, experience and ideas to lead our party to victory in 2011 and to take our province out of recession and towards a brighter future.”

Hudak was first elected in 1995 in the riding of Niagara South. He has been rewarded for his hard work with four consecutive election victories, including his best result to date in the last election, where he earned more than 51 per cent of local votes in a riding that was two-thirds new territory for him.

Hudak said that his vision for Ontario is based on conservative principles that stand the test of time, such as rewarding hard work and ingenuity, supporting families, lower taxes and living within our means, and respect for the rule of law.

“Dalton McGuinty’s outdated and harmful economic policies have turned Ontario into a have-not province,” said Hudak. “We need innovative ideas grounded in conservative principles in order to get Ontario moving. Together, united and strong, we can focus on the issues that matter to middle class families, defeat Dalton McGuinty and the Ontario Liberals, and bring prosperity to our province. That’s what’s right for Ontario.”

Hudak and his family will hit the ground running tonight with a kick-off rally for supporters from the Hamilton-Niagara region at Westbrook Greenhouses in his home riding.

Learn more about Tim Hudak and the Right for Ontario campaign at www.timhudak.ca.

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Contact:

Mike Low
647-367-2300, ext. 218
mike.low@timhudak.ca