Mark Gerretsen, MP for Kingston and the Islands, insists the provincial Liberal party can rebuild.
Gerretsen joined Liberals who gathered for a community barbecue in Kingston on Sunday.
Amid the smell of freshly grilled burgers, he said Liberals will use their recent election loss in Kingston as “an opportunity to figure out exactly what went wrong and how to rebuild the party.”
The NDP’s Ian Arthur was elected as the new MPP for Kingston and the Islands in the provincial election on June 7. Province-wide, the Liberals were knocked from a majority government to only seven seats, which is not even enough for official party status in the legislature.
Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford will be sworn in as Ontario premier on June 29 with a majority government of 76 seats, and Andrea Horwath’s NDP will form the official opposition with 40 seats. The Green Party captured one seat — its first in the provincial legislature.
Despite the rout, Gerretsen insisted the Liberal brand remains “strong and active” in Kingston.
“I was really hoping for our candidate, Sophie Kiwala, to come through. But having said that, I also respect the fact that after the election is over. It’s time for the governing activities to start.”
Kiwala, who was also at the event, said she enjoyed serving the people and working with organizations in the community. She plans to take some time off.
“I’ll see what the transition looks like and where the party goes in the future, and I anticipate that I’ll be very much a part of that rebuilding effort.”
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