Did Peter Shurman really endorse the Liberals? Not exactly
Liberals enthusiastically embraced what they considered an endorsement by former Progressive Conservative MPP Peter Shurman on a Toronto radio station this morning.
Asked about Mr. Shurman’s comments, Adrian Morrow reports from the Liberal campaign bus, Kathleen Wynne broke into a wide grin. “I’m looking for support across the political spectrum,” she said.
"If Peter Shurman has looked at our plan and likes it, that's okay by me," @Kathleen_Wynne says #onpoli
— Adrian Morrow (@AdrianMorrow) May 7, 2014
Mr. Shurman’s feelings about PC Leader Tim Hudak, who fired him as his finance critic over an expenses controversy, are fairly well known. But reached by e-mail this morning, he clarified that he wasn’t endorsing Ms. Wynne – merely offering a prediction. In his words:
“I did NOT say Wynne was the best person for the job. I said the election would result in a minority; that (contrary to what Hudak says) it IS a popularity contest; and that with a gun to my head I’d predict a Wynne minority because she is the best SALES person. I said that because that’s my opinion as of right now…and I am paid for expressing my opinion on a range of subjects on the radio. I have not decided who to vote for as yet.”
If you listen to the audio – which is available on the Moore in the Morning podcast – you’ll in fact hear that when fellow guest Christie Blatchford says she thinks Ms. Wynne is selling “the shoddiest product” of the party leaders, Mr. Shurman says he won’t argue with that. So it’s safe to say the Liberals do not, in fact, have his endorsement just yet.