Brown prepares for legislature after byelection win

Fresh off his by-election win, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown and his party began a 10-day countdown on Friday to the return of the legislature.

Brown handily won a by-election on Thursday in the riding of Simcoe North taking 21,103 votes – nearly 12,000 more than the second place candidate, Liberal Fred Larsen.

Now, with the legislature set to return on Sept. 14, Brown says the two big issues at the top of his agenda are rising hydro prices, and the province's downgraded credit rating.

"It's going to be a very exciting journey to building a Progressive Conservative majority government," Brown said on Thursday night.

Liberals on attack

On Friday, with the election over, the Liberals went on the attack about Brown's politics leading up to his election last May as party leader.

"What did he tell the pro-life movement to get their support in his leadership campaign that he's not telling us now?" Brad Duguid, the Liberal's Economic Development minister asked on Friday at a news conference.

The PCs in Ontario have lost the last four provincial elections, all to the Liberals. Three of those elections ­– including the one in June 2014 – resulted in Liberal majorities.

Brown has been at the helm of the PCs since winning the leadership on May 9. But he had been without a seat, leaving him unable to face off in the legislature against Premier Kathleen Wynne.