Controversial Ontario MPP Randy Hillier announces he will not run for re-election
CTV
Randy Hillier, the Ontario MPP for Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston, announced Thursday evening he would not run for re-election come June.
A member of Provincial Parliament from eastern Ontario, who has been outspoken against COVID-19 public health measures, has announced he will not run for re-election in June.
Randy Hillier made the announcement in a 20-minute long video posted to social media.
“I've got an important message for today — a message that will be greeted with sadness by some and that will be greeted with glee by others,” he said.
“On June 2, I will not be contesting for the seat of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.”
Hillier’s announcements come just a week after Ontario's legislature unanimously passed a motion authorizing the Speaker to bar the MPP from participating in the chamber for what House Leader Paul Calandra called racist and discriminatory statements made about federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, and for social media posts that Calandra says were inciting a call to violence.
“[Because] of my opposition to the trampling of our civil liberties, and my outspokenness, I'm no longer permitted to be recognized in the legislature,” Hillier said in his video statement.
The MPP has been frequently criticized for posting COVID-19 misinformation. He was charged under the Reopening Ontario Act after organizing a rally at Queen's Park in November, and has more recently supported and attended the Ottawa occupation by anti-vaccine mandate protesters.
