MPP McNaughton speaks at the Ontario Legislature, February 25, 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Ontario Legislature via YouTube)MPP McNaughton speaks at the Ontario Legislature, February 25, 2015. (Photo courtesy of the Ontario Legislature via YouTube)
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McNaughton Confident PCs Will Win Election With Ford As Leader

A local MPP says Doug Ford will deliver "that strong change that people really want to see" in Ontario.

Former Toronto city councillor Doug Ford was named the new leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservatives late Saturday evening, after the announcement was delayed over seven hours following the PC leadership convention in Markham.

Lambton-Kent-Middlesex MPP Monte McNaughton says it was a long day for him, his wife, and his four-year-old daughter who attended the convention.

"It took longer than we expected and of course we've seen this happen when Dalton McGuinty was elected leader of the Liberals and other leadership contests tend to drag on," says McNaughton. "I'm just glad it's resolved, we have a leader, and now it's time to move forward as a united party and defeat Kathleen Wynne on June 7."

McNaughton, who co-chaired candidate Caroline Mulroney's campaign, says she still has a chance of being an MPP. He says Mulroney is a nominated candidate in the riding of York-Simcoe.

"I just want to move forward. We are literally days away from the beginning of the election campaign. Our party has to be united behind the new leader," says McNaughton. "Doug Ford, I believe will deliver change for families in the province of Ontario and we'll win the election."

McNaughton says it is good news for Southwestern Ontario that Doug Ford will be representing the party, because Ford has made it clear he wants the province to be "open for business" again with more manufacturing jobs.

"We've seen in the last ten years what the Liberals and the NDP together have done: bringing in the Green Energy Act, making hydro more expensive, and they've nearly tripled the debt over the last decade," he explains. "We need change in the province and I think Doug Ford will deliver that strong change that people really want to see."

McNaughton says the party will be putting forward some pretty substantial policies to change the direction and make Ontario competitive again. He says that begins with scrapping the Green Energy Act and stopping the construction of wind turbines.

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