Kathleen Wynne on Saturday was elected
Canada's first openly gay premier.
At the Ontario Liberal leadership
convention, Wynne was chosen to lead Ontario's government, making her
the first woman to lead the province and the first openly gay premier
in Canada's history.
After
three rounds of voting, the 59-year-old Wynne stood triumphantly
on the stage when the results were announced.
Wynne, who is married to Jane
Rounthwaite, called the win a “remarkable night for all of us.”
In campaigning for the post, Wynne
noted the changed political climate since her first run for office in
1994.
“I want to put something on the
table. Is Ontario ready for a gay premier? You've heard that
question. You've all heard that question. But let's say what it
actually means: Can a gay woman win? That's what it means. Not
surprisingly, I have an answer to that question. When I ran in 2003,
I was told that the people of North Toronto and the people of
Thorncliffe Park weren't ready for a gay woman. Well, apparently
they were,” she said, a reference to her 2003 provincial win.
“I don't believe the people of
Ontario judge their leaders on the basis of race, color or sexual
orientation – I don't believe they hold that prejudice in their
hearts.”
“They judge us on our merits – on
our abilities, on our expertise, on our ideas. Because that is how
everyone deserves to be judged.”
In her acceptance speech, Wynne thanked
her wife, whom she called a “front-line” spouse. (The video is
embedded on this page. Visit
our video library for more videos.)