McGuinty Faces Leadership Review This Weekend
All eyes are on the Premier this weekend, as he faces his first leadership review since not only the provincial election last October but the recent byelections in Vaughan and Kitchener-Waterloo.
Dalton McGuinty has said to stay on as leader, just over 50 per cent support from the Liberals would suffice.
University of Toronto Political Science Associate Professor Nelson Wiseman says he doesn't think McGuinty will do as well as his opposition party counterparts, with the NDP's Andrea Horwath getting 76 per cent support from her party and Tory Tim Hudak getting almost 79 per cent.
However, he says because there aren't viable leadership candidates waiting in the wings, Liberal party members may back McGuinty with higher numbers than expected.
Nelson points out Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan has been trying to raise his profile lately, speaking at business leader engagements outside of the province. He says Duncan would likely make a bid to head the party if McGuinty steps down.
The Ontario Liberals are meeting in Ottawa this weekend, with the leadership voting taking place on Friday and Saturday.