photo:Josh Evnin from Chicago, IL, USA [CC BY-SA 2.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Green Party of Ontario leader and Guelph MPP, Mike Schreiner, released the following statement, responding to the PC government's announcent of changes to official party status. 

“This is another example of the PC government choosing politics over the people of Ontario. They’re acting out of their own party’s self-interest and not what’s good for democracy or the people. Changing the rules of the game midstream, like they did with Toronto, or after the election, like they’re doing now, is a slap in the face to democracy.

The Premier’s team are acting like sore winners. Why can’t they accept that they won?

Instead, they’re pursuing a political agenda that is damaging to our democracy. Eight seats to qualify for official party status is a reasonable rule that existed before the election, and the Premier should accept that.”

By the numbers:

Total seats in Ontario legislature, 124

Current  Seats required for official party status - 8 (6.5%)  Proposed - 12 (9.7%)

Total seats in Canadian House of Commons, 338

The PCs won 60% of the seats in the June 2018 election with 40.5% of the popular vote.

Seats required for official party status - 12 (3.6%)