Kathleen Wynne feeling 'positive and optimistic' about Justin Trudeau
Ontario's Liberal premier campaigned for her federal counterpart
Kathleen Wynne praised Justin Trudeau as "good for Ontario and good for Canada" the morning after the Liberal Party swept to a majority government in a defeat of the sitting Conservatives.
Wynne helped Liberal Prime Minister-designate Justin Trudeau win decisively in Ontario. Liberal candidates won most of the Greater Toronto Area, Ottawa and other key ridings in the province previously held by the Conservatives and the NDP.
Wynne, speaking to the media from Queen's Park, said Trudeau makes her feel "positive and optimistic" about the future of Canada.
"Last night, Canadians gave us the real partner we need, with the same priorities and same values," she said. "At every level of government, we can work on common goals."
Wynne said she and Trudeau had a very "happy" conversation on Monday night after his election win.
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She stressed that the federal government can do better to represent Ontarians.
The Ontario premier had a frosty relationship with outgoing Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The two exchanged barbs at the beginning of the campaign, a reflection of their differing views on government.
A key issue in that dispute was Wynne's desire to introduce an Ontario-backed pension plan to bolster the Canada Pension Plan (CPP), which she thought was not enough of a safety net for Ontarians. Trudeau gained praise from Wynne when he promised to expand the CPP and to return the age of eligibility for Old Age Security to 65 from 67.
With Trudeau in power, Wynne has vowed to drop the idea of creating a provincial pension plan.
Wynne also cautioned that she and the prime minister-designate may not always see eye to eye.
"I know it is inevitable that we will not agree on every issue. That is a healthy part of a healthy relationship," she said. "The key is when we disagree it will be with mutual respect for each other and our institutions."
The last time a Liberal occupied both the prime minister's and Ontario premier's office was when Paul Martin was in Ottawa and Dalton McGuinty was in Toronto in 2003. That lasted until 2006, when Harper won a minority government.