Liberal MPP Greg Sorbara resigns
Posted August 1, 2012 1:10 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
TORONTO, Ont. – Veteran Liberal MPP Greg Sorbara is resigning his seat at Queen’s Park, but will stay on as chair of the Liberal campaign in the event the minority provincial government should fall.
“During our majority days, the date of the next election was always very clear. We had fixed terms – four years. In a minority, it’s not clear,” he told a room packed with colleagues, family and media Wednesday morning.
Sorbara, 65, served as the finance minister for Premier Dalton McGuinty between 2003 and 2007, and led the last three Liberal election campaigns.
“Today is the right time to do the right thing as I move to perform fewer roles more effectively,” he said. “Serving as an MPP has been the greatest honour of my life.”
“After 13 years of benign neglect, I need to devote more time to my family and my business interests,” he added, explaining that wife “Kate and I long for more time and space together.”
In a Tweet, current Finance Minister Dwight Duncan said Sorbara has made an enormous contribution to Ontario and he will be missed.
Sorbara has represented the riding of Vaughan for 21 years, after first being elected in 1985. However, he said working on fundraising for the Liberal party is a full-time job and the people of Vaughan deserve a full-time MPP – something he has been unable to do as of late.
“This decision is about me simply not letting my responsibilities to my constituents become a part-time pursuit alongside the other demands of my time,” he said.
His resignation means a second byelection for the province. However, it’s unclear if both the Kitchener-Waterloo and Vaughan byelections will be held on the same day. McGuinty has only said these will not take place during the summer, but that they will be sooner than later.
The Kitchener-Waterloo seat was abandoned in April by Conservative MPP Elizabeth Witmer.
Meanwhile, other provincial party leaders are having their say about Sorbara’s resignation.
In a written statement, NDP leader Andrea Horwath said “while we may not always have seen eye to eye on the floor of the Legislature, I appreciate Mr. Sorbara’s determination and skill.”
“I congratulate him on his dedication as a Member of Provincial Parliament and wish him the best of luck in all his future endeavours,” she added.
