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Ontario’s Liberals have been having a hard time sorting out why voters dislike them so much.

Their leader, Kathleen Wynne, admitted Saturday she won’t be premier after Thursday, as polls show her party is in for a drubbing. Ontarians are so down on the Liberals, they may not even rate official party status once the ballots are in.

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Why would that be? Liberals and their remaining friends have struggled to pinpoint the problem. Is it because she’s a woman? Because she’s gay? She doesn’t deserve the disdain showered on her, says The Toronto Star.

She’s the premier Ontarians don’t deserve says a fan. She has “launched some of the most popular and progressive programs in the country,” yet has been criticized and treated in ways unimaginable to male premiers,” says another. How can anyone criticize free tuition and free pharmacare?

OK, as a public service, here are some reasons.

Wynne ran as an upgrade from her predecessor, Dalton McGuinty. She didn’t like the scandals, the gas plant closings, the dirty little deals. She’d bring transparency and openness. She promised to be better, and didn’t deliver — not even close. She blatantly sold access to herself and her top cabinet members to the highest bidders, treating the payments as “donations.” When exposed she refused to back down until public pressure forced it on her. No one pays big bucks to politicians unless they expect something in return, and Wynne’s blatant use of her office to fill party coffers only exacerbated the cynicism and distrust that had grown up during the McGuinty years.