Mississauga Mayor Hazel McCallion threw her support behind Liberal Leader Kathleen Wynne during a news conference on Wednesday.
“As a leader, I’m endorsing her,” said McCallion who appeared with Wynne at the event in Mississauga. “I think we need more women leading parties and cities,” she added.
McCallion said she has a “good relationship” with the Liberal government, and that she endorses many of Wynne’s policies,but asked to obtain additional taxation powers because “municipalities can’t operate on the property tax in the province anymore.”
The 93-year-old political veteran said municipalities “need taxing authority. No question about it.”
She also called on voters to elect a majority Liberal government.
“Minority government leaves us as municipalities hanging out there, not knowing what legislation can’t go through the House, and what can,” she said.
She also took aim at the Progressive Conservative party and their plan to eliminate public sector jobs and taxes.
“I don’t think tax cutting is the answer, you don’t create jobs with tax cutting, it never worked in the past and it won’t work in the future,” she said.
McCallion added that transit and infrastructure funding remain a top priority for Mississauga. “Companies are not going to locate here if they can’t get their people to work, or they can’t get their products and services delivered,” she said.
But while she did endorse Wynne, McCallion said urged Ontarians to vote “according to the issues.”
She added that the $1.1 billion scandal over cancelled gas power plants in Mississauga and Oakville has “taken over far too much. Terrible mistake. Water under the bridge. Let’s get on putting the province of Ontario back on track.”
