LONDON, ONT.—Premier Kathleen Wynne is pledging not to trigger a snap election if the Progressive Conservatives are plunged into a fall leadership contest.

The premier stressed her Liberals have no plans to exploit opposition turmoil should embattled Conservative Leader Tim Hudak face — and then lose — a leadership review.

“I would not do that,” Wynne told the Star on Friday. “I don’t think that would be fair.”

Her comments come as Tories gather for a weekend policy convention, where some dissidents are pushing for a review of Hudak’s leadership, though their efforts seem unlikely to succeed.

Still, Wynne said she was “clearing the air” because she’s read some pundits suggesting the minority Liberals would pounce on any Tory tumult by engineering the government’s defeat.

“It’s important for people to know that wouldn’t be a trigger. They would need to have the time to go through their leadership process,” she said.

Hudak is putting his four-year leadership on the line at this weekend’s policy convention.

Before he can prepare for the next provincial election, which could come next spring, Hudak has to put down a minor party revolt led by a London contingent that would like to see him replaced sooner that later.

While Hudak plays down the internecine dispute, his supporters say it is still a distraction at a time when the party should be focused on toppling the minority Liberals, who are openly mocking Hudak’s travails.

The Ontario Progressive Conservative leader on Friday dismissed challenges to his leadership at this weekend’s as “a very minor squabble, . . . over constitutional amendments.”

“Under my leadership, Ontario’s going to lead again,” he said. “This convention is all about how we are going to turn this province around.”

“Every party has these types,” he said of the party insiders who are challenging his leadership.

The critics, still fuming over losing the Aug. 1 byelection in London West, are using sections of the party constitution, “nobody has heard of,’ said Hudak.

He insisted the London convention will reveal “a strong, united PC team that’s going to put together its turnaround plan, that’s ready to govern because Ontario desperately needs the help.”

“I know some of the media are going to want to focus on what can be a minor argument around the kitchen table,” said Hudak.

On Saturday, the delegates will discuss a motion calling for a change to the party’s constitution that could set the stage for a review of Hudak’s tenure if two-thirds of delegates agree.

While it is not expected to pass, it still casts a pall on Hudak, who for the second time will lead his party into the next general election.

The convention focus is also on party president Richard Ciano, who some critics accuse of undermining Hudak.

Ciano told reporters at the start of the convention the accusations are completely false.

“I have worked very well with our leader . . . it is just nonsense that there is any light or distance between us. We very rarely, if ever, have disagreed on things,” said Ciano, who added that “this whole issue over internal fighting is vastly overstated and exaggerated.”

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Meanwhile, the Liberals, New Democrats and the Ontario Public Service Employees Union (OPSEU) launched separate attacks on the Tories as they gather in London.

At Queen’s Park, the Liberals charged the Conservative convention has turned into a damage control exercise after Hudak has faced grumbling over his leadership after winning just one of five byelections on Aug. 1 and fired two members of his shadow cabinet in a bit to assert control.

“It’s pretty clear, looking at what’s occurred over the last number of days and weeks, that the Ontario PC Party is in complete disarray,” said Liberal MPP Steven Del Duca (Vaughan).

With the motion to create a new leadership review process, “Tim Hudak clearly can’t convince his own party and his own caucus that he’s up to the job.”

Del Duca raised concerns there is a “hidden agenda” because the 24 resolutions going to the convention floor don’t involve policies mentioned in a series of “radical white papers” Hudak has put out in the last year or two, including a promise to axe 10,000 education workers, and bring in what the Liberals call “harmful, Alabama-style right to work legislation” that would ban mandatory union membership in organized workplaces.

“Either Tim Hudak is hiding his plan from the people of Ontario, or his own party has rejected the radical white paper proposals that he has been touting for the last couple of the years.”

New Democrat House Leader Gilles Bisson said Hudak has been “wounded” going in to the convention and will emerge the same way for a number of reasons, including his party’s inability to get any of its measures included in a Liberal budget.

“They’ve been sidelined,” said Bisson, whose party has co-operated with the Liberals and supported Premier Kathleen Wynne’s last budget, which included NDP measures like lower auto insurance premiums and a legislative budget officer.

“The disunity in the party is not helpful to Hudak’s overall brand,” added Bisson. “Do you really have confidence in them if they can’t get their own house in order?”

OPSEU president Warren (Smokey) Thomas unveiled video condemning the Tories for advocating controversial U.S. style right to work legislation in Ontario.

“There is no doubt in our mind that Tim Hudak, if he won power, would bring right-to-work legislation in if he had a majority,” Thomas told the Star in London.

“Then we would see a worse assault on the middle class and unions. Tim doesn’t like unions.”

Thomas said the “documentary” was developed to poke holes in Hudak’s position that it would be good for the economy.

“It’s a race to the bottom,” he said.

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