A member of Provincial Parliament from eastern Ontario, who has been outspoken against COVID-19 public health measures, has announced he will not run for re-election in June.
Randy Hillier made the announcement in a 20-minute long video posted to social media.
“I've got an important message for today — a message that will be greeted with sadness by some and that will be greeted with glee by others,” he said.
“On June 2, I will not be contesting for the seat of Lanark-Frontenac-Kingston.”
Hillier’s announcements come just a week after Ontario's legislature unanimously passed a motion authorizing the Speaker to bar the MPP from participating in the chamber for what House Leader Paul Calandra called racist and discriminatory statements made about federal Transport Minister Omar Alghabra, and for social media posts that Calandra says were insinuating a call to violence.
“[Because] of my opposition to the trampling of our civil liberties, and my outspokenness, I'm no longer permitted to be recognized in the legislature,” Hillier said in his video statement.
The MPP has been frequently criticized for posting COVID-19 misinformation. He was charged under the Reopening Ontario Act after organizing a rally at Queen's Park in November, and has more recently supported and attended the Ottawa occupation by anti-vaccine mandate protesters.
Hillier has served as a member of the provincial parliament of Ontario since 2007. He was originally elected as a Progressive Conservative (PC) Party MPP, but was removed in 2019 after making what the premier called "disrespectful" comments to parents of kids with autism.
He has sat as an Independent since.
He says he will continue to be an outspoken voice despite deciding to not seek re-election.
“Our political system is broken,” Hillier said in the video.
“There is no sense spending any more time trying to fix a broken system from within when the problem lies without.”
With files from The Canadian Press and CTV News Toronto’s Colin D’Mello
