Staring at certain defeat, Kathleen Wynne has conceded she “will no longer be Ontario’s premier” after Thursday’s election.

In an unprecedented gambit for a sitting premier, the Liberal leader on Saturday pleaded with voters to elect as many Grits as possible to prevent a Progressive Conservative or NDP majority government.

Wynne, in power since succeeding Dalton McGuinty in 2013 and the first female premier in Ontario history, said neither Tory Leader Doug Ford nor NDP Leader Andrea Horwath should be given a “blank cheque.”

“This is a hard thing to do,” Wynne told reporters at a French-language school in North York, at times fighting back tears.

“On June 7, voters will choose a new government,” she said against a backdrop of Liberal staffers’ children frolicking on the school’s playground.

“I don’t know who voters will choose but I am pretty sure that it won’t be me. After Thursday, I will no longer be Ontario’s premier,” she said.

“And I’m OK with that, because, as I’ve said many times before, it’s not about me. It’s about the people of this province. It’s about their well-being. And their futures. It’s about their jobs. Not my job.”

Wynne, who polls suggest is in third place behind Ford and Horwath, said voters are worried about the rookie PC leader, who has not released a fully costed platform but has promised billions of dollars in unspecified spending cuts.

“With a majority government, Doug Ford would have too free a hand for the comfort of most people — they don’t trust his judgment,” the Liberal leader said.

“They don’t trust the choices he would make. This is a man who was only too happy to open up the Greenbelt to condo development until he was caught out, who mused about selling cannabis in corner stores where our kids shop.

“I don’t believe this is a man that people want to hand Ontario over to without putting him on the shortest of short leashes.”

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Wynne said a New Democratic majority government also has its risks.

“People worry about what will happen to our economy if the NDP take power and form a majority government with nothing to hold them back. People worry that the NDP will raise taxes on small businesses, that they will take unemployment higher,” she said.

“The more Liberal MPPs we send to Queen’s Park on June 7, the less likely it becomes that either Doug Ford or the NDP will be able to form a majority government.

“By voting Liberal you can keep the next government, Conservative or NDP, from acting too extreme — one way or the other. By voting Liberal you can keep the next government, Conservative or NDP, accountable to you. By voting Liberal you can keep Doug Ford — and the NDP — from having a blank cheque,” Wynne said.

However, she would not say whether she would prefer to work with a PC or NDP minority.

Nor did the Liberal leader say whether the party would reallocate resources or work with the NDP to prevent progressive voter splits that could help Ford win a majority.

Horwath, for her part, urged progressives to “come together.”

“Let’s stop Doug Ford’s cutting and privatizing plan in its tracks,” said the NDP leader.

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“Kathleen Wynne has abandoned the fight against Doug Ford cuts. And her request today for a minority government is a demand that she be allowed to continue to hold the power at Queen’s Park — something voters have already rejected,” Horwath said, warning it’s “a dangerous game.”

“Liberal votes won’t result in a minority — they’ll result in a Doug Ford majority,” she said.

Asked if he was surprised by Wynne’s announcement Saturday, Ford said his team is focused on getting its message out.

“This whole election has been about change,” the PC leader said. “People are sick and tired of being the most indebted government in the entire world. People are sick and tired of having the highest hydro rates in North America. People are sick and tired of high taxes. We’re focused on our message, a message of change for the people of Ontario.”

While Wynne did not say specifically if she would stay on as Liberal leader after Thursday, her move effectively marked the unofficial launch of a leadership race.

Former premiers rarely remain long as leader after an electoral defeat.

Asked if she will still be leader Friday morning, Wynne said: “I think we need to see what happens. I can’t tell you exactly what the process will be. The sure thing is we’re dealing with the reality that I won’t be premier.”

There are many in Wynne’s cabinet who could replace her.

Ministers Steven Del Duca, Yasir Naqvi, Glenn Thibeault, Mitzie Hunter, Charles Sousa and Michael Coteau are considered potential successors.

But each is in a dogfight to win their own seats on Thursday.

One senior Liberal said Saturday that Wynne’s act “can’t hurt” the party’s prospects.

“It should help save some seats. The party is more popular than the premier,” said the insider, speaking on condition of anonymity in order to discuss internal party business.

“Not that it’s fair, because she’s head and shoulders above Ford or Horwath, but that’s the reality.”

While the Liberals have 46 incumbents seeking re-election, the party, which has been in power since 2003, is at risk of losing official status in the legislature if fewer than eight MPPs are elected.

“Hopefully, this removes one obstacle to maintaining party status,” said another senior party official.

Despite a disappointing end to her five years as premier, Wynne emphasized she has few regrets.

“It is hard,” she said. “I’m not going to pretend that it’s not hard. For someone who is as competitive as I am.”

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