MPP Rick Nicholls joins Ontario party
CBC
The MPP for Chatham-Kent-Leamington has joined the Ontario Party.
Rick Nicholls had been sitting as an independent since August, when he was ousted from the Progressive Conservative caucus for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
"My reason for joining the Ontario Party was pretty straightforward," Nicholls told CBC News. "I am a conservative. However, having said that, I became very much disenchanted with the movement and the direction that the Ford government is going."
Nicholls said he got an opportunity to speak with Ontario Party representatives and he "liked what they stood for."
"They're pro-family, they're pro liberty," he said. "That was one of the main reasons why I chose to attach my name to them and join the party."
The Ontario Party was founded in 2018, and former Conservative MP Derek Sloan is the current leader. In a news release, Sloan pitched the party as an alternative to "the four left-wing parties" — referring to the Greens, NDP, Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives.
Nicholls' switch makes him the party's first sitting member at Queen's Park.
Nicholls said despite what happened with the PC party and posts he made online saying the COVID-19 vaccine was unsafe, he's not anti-vaccination.
"I didn't think that this particular vaccination was safe," he said Wednesday. "I have all my other vaccines."
The consensus among medical experts is that COVID-19 vaccines are safe and effective.
Nicholls said he didn't think enough was known about the COVID-19 vaccine at the time, and therefore he decided not to get it.
"It's, you know, my choice," he said. "I'm not adverse to anyone who has chosen to get the vaccine."
"If someone chooses to get a vaccine, OK," Nicholls said. "But if they choose not to, OK."
"But let's have the respect for both parties."
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