Maverick MPP Amanda Simard has quit the Progressive Conservative caucus in protest of Premier Doug Ford’s cuts to French-language services.

Simard (Glengarry-Prescott-Russell) resigned from the Tories on Thursday. Her potential departure was first reported by the Star last Friday.

“Effective immediately, I am no longer a member of the Progressive Conservative caucus,” Simard wrote in a letter to Speaker Ted Arnott.

“I will continue to take my place in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario as an Independent,” she added. “Please advise me if need to take any other steps as a result of this change. Thank you in advance for your continued support.”

Simard, who was the lone Franco-Ontarian Tory MPP, left over the decision to eliminate Ontario’s French-language watchdog and Ford’s cancellation of a French-language university.

First elected in June, she was not in the legislature on Thursday and did not return messages from the Star seeking comment.

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The premier, who did not loop her in on his cuts that were announced in the fall economic statement on Nov. 15, told iPolitics’ Marieke Walsh that he was blindsided by the rookie MPP’s move.

“That’s Amanda’s choice,” a visibly dismayed Ford said after an early morning caucus meeting at Queen’s Park.

Asked by Walsh if he knew Simard, who had voted against the Tories’ fiscal update bill on Wednesday, was defecting, he said, “No.”

But Ford insisted he has “a strong team” that is “more united than we’ve ever been.”

“We stick together. We’re united. Solid, solid, united,” he said, adding the mood in caucus was “positive.”

Children, Community and Social Services Minister Lisa MacLeod dismissed Simard as an acolyte of former Tory leader Patrick Brown, who stepped down in January under a cloud.

MacLeod insisted the party would have preferred to have run a different candidate in Simard’s riding last June.

“That’s well documented. The nomination in that riding was cancelled and she became the candidate,” MacLeod said.

But the minister stressed that she was not worried about other Brown-era Tory MPPs leaving the PC fold, saying, “We have a strong and united caucus.”

Asked how many “loyalists” Brown has in the Tory benches, MacLeod replied, “Zero. I think everyone is loyal to Doug Ford.”

The Liberals, who have seven MPPs, have been courting Simard to join their ranks. That would give them eight, which is the threshold for official status in the house. The Tories are planning to raise that bar to 12.

Liberal MPP Nathalie Des Rosiers, who was the dean of the University of Ottawa law school when Simard was a student there, said “the door is open” for the former Tory to join the Grits.

“It’s a complicated time for her. She has to make her mind up about what her political future is and how she can best represent her constituents,” said Des Rosiers, whose Ottawa-Vanier riding, like Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, is predominantly francophone.

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“My constituents are furious with the Ford government. It goes to the core of their belonging to the province,” Des Rosiers said.

Interim Liberal Leader John Fraser emphasized that his party is not pressuring Simard to join.

“It’s a tough thing to do. It’s like leaving your family. I admire her for her courage. And all of us on the opposition side, the Greens, the Liberals, and I know the NDP, welcome her coming over,” said Fraser.

“These are important decisions. It’s not like you’re a free agent or you’re getting traded to the Leafs.”

Fraser added that party status for the Liberals “is not the most important thing.”

“The most important thing is that the issue of francophone rights in this province is not being addressed by the government. They’re not listening. They don’t understand the history of the francophone community.”

NDP MPP France Gélinas, who spent time with Simard on Wednesday night, disputed Ford’s claim that the Tories had been trying to reach out to her for days in order to allay her concerns.

“She had her phone right beside her and she said, ‘They never texted, they never emailed, they never phoned me,’” said Gélinas (Nickel Belt).

“I could tell that she was really stressed and under a lot of pressure. She was trying to find answers and came to me as a person who ... been here longer,” she said.

Simard’s defection will cost her financially — her salary will drop to $116,550 from the $133,217 she earned as parliamentary assistant to Francophone Affairs Minister Caroline Mulroney.

Mulroney, who has strongly defended the cuts and had not spoken with Simard in more than a week, said MPP Gila Martow (Thornhill) will be her new parliamentary assistant.

“All of Ontario was warned that we were going to go off a fiscal cliff if we didn’t turn things around,” Mulroney said in reference to the need for austerity measures.

In the 124-member house, there are now 74 Tories (including the speaker), 40 New Democrats, seven Liberals, Green Leader Mike Schreiner, and two Independents.

Former Tory minister Jim Wilson, who resigned from the PC caucus last month, is the other Independent member.

There are concerns in the Tory government of other disgruntled MPPs bolting. At least two MPPs from the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area have privately expressed concern over the direction of the government.

Robert Benzie is the Star’s Queen’s Park bureau chief and a reporter covering Ontario politics. Follow him on Twitter: @robertbenzie

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