MPP says Tory should stay
By Bill Rea

Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory plans to stay at the helm of his party, after he received the support of two-thirds of the membership at a recent convention.

"I think it was probably the best outcome," York-Simcoe MPP Julia Munro commented Monday.

Munro would not say how she voted Saturday, but she pointed out some of the membership had legitimate concerns about whether Tory should stay on as leader.

But she also observed the majority was ready to give him a second chance.

The party didn't do as well as expected in the October general election. The Liberals, under premier Dalton McGuinty, were returned with a majority, and Tory himself lost the race for the Toronto seat he was seeking.

Munro said it's important for Tory to recognize that almost four in 10 members want him to alter his strategy and recognize the problems that came up in the election.

"People recognize they've had their say, and now it's time to move on," she added.

Munro said Tory has a chance to lead the party to victory in the next election, expected in October 2011. She observed that Tory is committed to rebuilding the party, adding the Liberals have some huge policy gaps, in such areas as community safety and the economy.

York-Simcoe MP Peter Van Loan stated Friday that he was supporting Tory staying on as leader.

"I think he's a very capable leader," he remarked. "I don't see any obvious alternative."

Van Loan didn't think the fall election was a real reflection of Tory's value as a leader, pointing out that Mike Harris drew a lower percentage of the vote in the 1990 campaign, and formed a majority government after the next election. He also observed Prime Minister Stephen Harper lost his first election as federal Conservative leader.

"That's not at all unusual," Van Loan said.

He also suggested that a defeat like the one in the fall could have been a strengthening experience. "When you lose, you learn a lot of lessons," he said.