Kathleen Wynne became the next leader of the provincial Liberal Party and the next Premier of Ontario after winning the leadership vote on the third ballot during the Liberal Convention in Toronto on Jan. 26, 2013.Peter Power/The Globe and Mail
B.C. Premier Christy Clark says she will be sending Ontario's incoming premier a bottle of B.C. wine to make a point.
As Ms. Clark on Monday offered congratulations to Kathleen Wynne, she said she hoped to uncork Ontario markets for B.C. wine.
"Ontario hasn't opened up their borders to wine imports from British Columbia," Ms. Clark told reporters following a speech on an unrelated matter.
Ms. Clark noted that B.C. is open to Ontario wine imports, and that she was eager for equal treatment for B.C. product.
"I think Ontarians want to drink our wine, so I am going to be legally sending Ms. Wynne a bottle of some of British Columbia's finest vintages so I can help persuade her that they need to open up their borders to free trade with British Columbia."
Ms. Clark otherwise offered "big congratulations" to Ms. Wynne, noting she thought the incoming premier up to the job of running a province that plays a leading role in the direction of the country.
It remains to be seen when Ms. Clark and Ms. Wynne will meet face to face. The next Council of the Federation meeting of premiers and territorial leaders is set for July 24 in Niagara-on-the-Lake, well after the May. 14 provincial election in B.C. Ms. Clark's B.C. Liberals are running well behind the opposition New Democrats in the polls.
Ms. Clark, B.C.'s second female premier after Rita Johnston in 1991, said the emergence of yet another female provincial leader sets a tangible example of boundless possibilities for young women.
"It's not just what we tell our kids that matters but what they see happening in the world. So I think seeing women in premiers' roles helps change young women's sense of what's possible for themselves in the world. At least I hope it does."
Ms. Clark said that while women may take different directions to solve issues, premiers of both sexes are concerned about a robust economy. While the B.C. Premier said women may have a different approach to some aspects of politics, she wouldn't overstate the distinctions.
"There's some pretty sensitive men around the premiers' table."
Ian Bailey