Independent MPP Randy Hillier not running again
In a lengthy video posted on Facebook, he said it was time to take his battle for freedom and free speech elsewhere after 15 years in the Ontario legislature.
Author of the article:Staff Reporter
Publishing date:Mar 03, 2022 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • 16 Comments
Randy Hillier was elected as a Conservative MPP, but was ejected from caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019.
Randy Hillier was elected as a Conservative MPP, but was ejected from caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019. PHOTO BY SEAN KILPATRICK /The Canadian Press
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Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP Randy Hillier announced Thursday evening he will not be running for re-election in his seat in the June provincial election.
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In a lengthy video posted on Facebook, Hillier said it was time to take his battle for freedom and free speech elsewhere after 15 years in the Ontario legislature.
“In my view, I have come to the conclusion there is not a political solution to what ails our society. The division, the polarization, the animus, the censorship, the suppression of views, these will not be fixed politically.”
In the video, entitled “End of a Chapter,” he described being met with a “mob” mentality for brashly speaking out, holding unpopular views and speaking his mind against the restraints of party politics. Hillier has railed against mandatory vaccinations and repeated his claims that public health measures meant to fight COVID-19 were unnecessary fear tactics.
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“I will not play this game.”
He noted he had been formally condemned both by municipal councils in his riding and by the Ontario legislature itself.
Hillier, 63, is one of the most controversial members to ever take a seat at Queen’s Park. Elected as a Conservative, he was kicked out of caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019 and sat as an independent.
Last week, the legislature unanimously authorized the Speaker to bar Hillier from participating following a motion by Government House Leader Paul Calandra saying the house expressed its disapproval of Hillier’s “continued disreputable conduct.”
A fierce opponent of COVID-19 lockdowns, Hillier was one of the most visible political figures during the three-week “Freedom Convoy” that took over downtown Ottawa in late January.
In speeches to protesters, he described the fight against mandatory vaccines as his “hill to die on.”
In a lengthy video posted on Facebook, he said it was time to take his battle for freedom and free speech elsewhere after 15 years in the Ontario legislature.
Author of the article:Staff Reporter
Publishing date:Mar 03, 2022 • 1 day ago • 1 minute read • 16 Comments
Randy Hillier was elected as a Conservative MPP, but was ejected from caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019.
Randy Hillier was elected as a Conservative MPP, but was ejected from caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019. PHOTO BY SEAN KILPATRICK /The Canadian Press
Article content
Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston MPP Randy Hillier announced Thursday evening he will not be running for re-election in his seat in the June provincial election.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
Cann raises nearly $35 million as it launches in Canada
Trackerdslogo
In a lengthy video posted on Facebook, Hillier said it was time to take his battle for freedom and free speech elsewhere after 15 years in the Ontario legislature.
“In my view, I have come to the conclusion there is not a political solution to what ails our society. The division, the polarization, the animus, the censorship, the suppression of views, these will not be fixed politically.”
In the video, entitled “End of a Chapter,” he described being met with a “mob” mentality for brashly speaking out, holding unpopular views and speaking his mind against the restraints of party politics. Hillier has railed against mandatory vaccinations and repeated his claims that public health measures meant to fight COVID-19 were unnecessary fear tactics.
Advertisement
STORY CONTINUES BELOW
Article content
“I will not play this game.”
He noted he had been formally condemned both by municipal councils in his riding and by the Ontario legislature itself.
Hillier, 63, is one of the most controversial members to ever take a seat at Queen’s Park. Elected as a Conservative, he was kicked out of caucus by Premier Doug Ford in 2019 and sat as an independent.
Last week, the legislature unanimously authorized the Speaker to bar Hillier from participating following a motion by Government House Leader Paul Calandra saying the house expressed its disapproval of Hillier’s “continued disreputable conduct.”
A fierce opponent of COVID-19 lockdowns, Hillier was one of the most visible political figures during the three-week “Freedom Convoy” that took over downtown Ottawa in late January.
In speeches to protesters, he described the fight against mandatory vaccines as his “hill to die on.”
Independent MPP Randy Hillier not running again
In a lengthy video posted on Facebook, he said it was time to take his battle for freedom and free speech elsewhere after 15 years in the Ontario legislature.
torontosun.com