Wynne keeping an eye on PC party turmoil as they 'sort out the situation'

Premier Kathleen Wynne says she is watching near daily unfolding of events with the province's Progressive Conservatives while she carries on with the work she needs to do.

She said she planned to watch the leadership candidates debate Thursday after a number of events on her calendar, which included visits to students in Cambridge and a town hall in Windsor.

"I certainly will pay attention to it," Wynne said after hosting a town hall at a Cambridge high school Thursday morning.

"I think it's really important that we all understand exactly what these candidates see in terms of the important issues in the province."

She said in particular, she wants to hear how they talk about the issues, including minimum wage.

"Some of them have been clear that they are not supportive of increasing people's wages so I'll be paying attention for sure," she said.

'Sort out the situation'

Wynne declined to weigh into the ongoing developments in the Patrick Brown sexual misconduct allegations. Brown, the former leader of the Progressive Conservatives, has denied the allegations and has threatened legal action over the story by CTV where two women accused him of acting inappropriately.

"The Conservatives are going to have to sort out the situation that they're dealing with," Wynne said. "I'm focused on making sure that people have the supports they need."

Earlier this week, PC leadership candidate Christine Elliott said she was looking at a number of ridings including Cambridge as a possible place to run in the provincial election should she become the party's leader.

It would pit Elliott against Liberal MPP and Minister of Transportation Kathryn McGarry.

McGarry has said the PCs shouldn't think "they can just parachute whomever they want from outside of Cambridge to run in the riding."

Having lived and worked in Cambridge for 30 years, she said, "I know it takes longer than five minutes to understand what our city wants and needs."

Wynne called McGarry a "superb local member, she is a terrific minister."

"As I said at our annual general meeting, it is about who we're fighting for, not who we're fighting against," she said.