Tim Hudak MPP for the riding of Niagara West - Glanbrook was elected Leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party late last evening. Hudak takes over from Interim Leader Bob Runciman. As you may remember, Runciman stepped in as Interim Leader after John Tory flamed out badly in the last Provincial Election.
I first met John Tory in the early 1980's. I was a very young MPP, and John Tory (who was also very young) was Principal Secretary to Premier William G. Davis. Tory had a great reputation, was considered very smart and I kinda liked him.
Not only did Tory lead the P.C. Party to defeat in the provincial election of 2007, by his ill advised support of funding for any and all religious schools, he also lost his bid for re-election as an MPP. If you can believe it things then got worse for John Tory. On March 5, 2009, Tory lost his chance to re-enter the Legislature, losing a provincial by-election in the riding of Haliburton-Kawartha Lakes-Brock, a safe conservative riding. The next day Tory quit as Leader.
Tim Hudak was first elected to the provincial legislature in 1995, and served as Cabinet Minister for both Premier Mike Harris and Premier Ernie Eves. Experience in opposition, experience in government, experience as a cabinet minister. So today at only 41 years of age, Hudak is a skillful and proven veteran.
Hudak is a big C conservative, in the mold of Mike Harris. Hudak will take very strong positions on the right of the political spectrum; his policies will be very divisive. He will give voters a real choice in the next election. For political observers, he will make watching Ontario politics interesting again. My guess, the person watching the most right now is Ontario Finance Minister, Dwight Duncan.
