No summer break for MPPs as legislature returns July 2: Wynne

MPPs won’t be taking the summer off after Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne asked the lieutenant governor for them to return to the legislature on July 2 so that they can get to work on implementing the Liberals’ promises to Ontarians.

“I’m very eager to be able to move to implement the plan that we brought forward,” Wynne told reporters at Queen’s Park on Friday morning after her historic win that saw PC Leader Tim Hudak resign and the NDP now very much on the sidelines.

The Ontario Liberals gained seats in Thursday’s election winning 59 of 107 ridings, compared to PC’s 27 and NDP’s 21. In the last legislative session, the Liberals had 48 seats followed by 37 for PCs and 21 for NDP.

Wynne said her NDP-friendly budget plan, which NDP Leader Andrea Horwath wouldn’t support and led to the election, will be brought back and “all of the commitments that we made,” including a provincial pension plan, transit and infrastructure investments and elimination of the $12.5-billion budget deficit by 2017-18 will be the “things we’re going to start working on right away.”

“So that’s what we’re looking forward to doing,” she said.

Wynne also said she will also get to work on forming a new cabinet and would have that done before MPPs return to Queen’s Park.

She also said the judicial committee examining the costly cancellation of two GTA gas plants will continue its work.

“I made a commitment that we would recall the committee and that they would now be able to complete their report and advise the government on how to make sure that such a thing never happens again,” she said.

But Wynne suggested she won’t drop her $2-million libel lawsuit against Hudak for claiming she may have covered up the scandal.

“That suit is underway,” she said. “I’m always happy to debate facts but when there are false allegations it’s unacceptable.”