Hundreds Turn Out to Protest at Liberal Leadership Debate

Sunday, 2 December 2012 10:06

There were protesters of many different causes, but they presented a united front in Ingersoll on Saturday, against the provincial government. From concerns over wind turbines, biogas facilities, landfills, and the right to collective bargaining, all the protesters want more control. They delayed vehicles from going into the Fusion Youth Centre for the first Ontario Liberal Leadership debate. The protesters included large groups from the OSSTF and CUPE against Bill 115. Educational Assistant Tracey Newman came all the way from Halton to get this message across. "We're afraid. We're afraid that we're going to be in a position that doesn't work for our members imposed on us, where we're going to lose income. It's not good for our families, it's not good for the education system to have our students fazed in this. It's not good for the province, because if we're not working, that has a ripple down effect to everybody else." Newman was able to speak with Kathleen Wynne, a perceived Liberal leadership front runner. Wynne was one of the only politicians that took the chance to walk through the crowd and spread with some of the protesters. Others stayed in their cars, and had brief, sometimes unpleasant exchanges as protesters stopped their cars before allowing them into a designated parking lot. There were also many locals on hand, in protest of the proposed Beachville landfill. OPAL Alliance spokesperson Karen Paton-Evans didn't feel like their message was getting lost amongst all the other issues. "This is tremendous that so many concerned citizens of Ontario are here, letting their government know that there's a lot that needs to be looked at in this province. There's many things that are concerning all of us, and I'm really pleased to see democracy in action in this big way." Inside the debate, there were only a few questions, drawn up by Liberal insiders, and the five men and two women running to replace Dalton McGuinty all said nice things about winning back support in rural Ontario. Kathleen Wynne had the biggest surprise by promising to appoint herself as agriculture minister for at least a year if she becomes premier at the January 25th leadership convention.