Standing in front of Canadian and Ontario flags at the Toyota plant in Cambridge, Dalton McGuinty made his final announcement as premier Wednesday.

The province and federal government are pumping in a combined total of almost $34 million to build hybrid vehicless there.

While McGuinty smiled and laughed, there was an air of sadness about him when speaking about what he calls a privilege to hold that job in "the greatest province, in the best country in the world."

McGuinty isn't fazed that he's ending his tenure as premier with teacher unrest and demonstrations, pointing to the fact that he's happy he lives in a democracy that allows free speech. He then ran through gains in education while he has been premier, pointing as well to a strong healthcare system and a rebounding economy.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper wished McGuinty well in the future, thanking him for his years in public service.

The Premier says he will stay on as Ottawa-South MPP until the next provincial election but doesn't have any plans after that.

He joked his wife has a list of things for him to do at home since he'll have more free time on his hands.

A new leader will be chosen at a convention this weekend. While McGuinty is remaining neutral when it comes to candidate support, he says he hopes his successor will follow his government's plan to shrink the deficit.