Liberals in dogfight to hold Chris Bentley?s London seat

Premier Kathleen Wynne?s Liberals face a tough battle to hold former minister Chris Bentley?s London seat in an upcoming byelection, a new poll suggests.

Bentley, retiring as London West MPP on Thursday, has held the key riding since 2003.

But a Forum Research poll found the Progressive Conservatives are ahead in a tight three-way race.

The Tories, who hold the seat federally, are at 34 per cent compared to 30 per cent for the Liberals, 28 per cent for the New Democrats, and 4 per cent for the Greens.

?It?s close, but it just highlights that the Liberals? problem is that they?re bleeding on both ends,? Forum president Lorne Bozinoff said Tuesday.

Using interactive telephone technology, Forum polled 724 people in London West on Monday.

Bentley, for his part, said he?s confident Wynne?s Grits can win a byelection that must be called by August unless the minority government falls before then and Ontario is plunged into a general election.

?We?re going to have a good strong team, a good strong platform put before the people when a byelection is called and we?ve done a lot of important work the last nine years,? he told reporters before his final Liberal caucus meeting.

?Haven?t got all the decisions right, but the main ones,? added Bentley, apparently referring to the politically motivated $230 million cancellation$230 million cancellation of gas plants in Oakville and Mississauga.

While the former energy minister had nothing to do with those decisions, he ended up being the government?s sacrificial lamb, facing parliamentary censure for the bungled release of documents related to the debacle.

Tory MPP Rob Leone (Cambridge) said Tuesday his party is not abandoning the issue despite Bentley?s departure.

?We will be asking both Kathleen Wynne and Dalton McGuinty to testify (at a legislative committee) because we feel they both have a role with respect to spending taxpayer dollars to save Liberal seats,? said Leone.

In contrast to former premier McGuinty, who declined to appear before the all-party committee, Wynne would show up for a grilling from MPPs.

?Premier Wynne will work with the opposition to review the gas plants at the committee level so that we can have a productive session in the legislature,? said her aide Kelly Baker.

?Premier Wynne has said that it?s important that the information on the relocation of the gas plants be released.?

Source: http://www.thestar.com/news/queenspark/2013/02/13/liberals_in_dogfight_to_hold_chris_bentleys_london_seat.html

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