Glenn Thibeault officially resigns as Sudbury's MP

Glenn Thibeault has officially resigned his seat in the House of Commons.

In an interview Monday, Thibeault said he's now ready to turn his attention to the byelection in Sudbury, where he'll be the Liberal candidate in the race to replace the NDP's Joe Cimino, who resigned in November.

While there has been some fallout from his decision to leave the federal New Democrats to run for the Grits provincially, Thibeault said he has received an outpouring of support from local Liberals and other residents.

“I was kind of overwhelmed by the support I was getting over Christmas,” he said. “While there's naysayers out there, especially on social media, when I'm out in public and doing things, I've been getting lots of support. It's been great, actually.”

While he didn't have an update on when the byelection will be held, Thibeault said Premier Kathleen Wynne has indicated a decision is imminent.

“I understand she's going to be making an announcement soon,” he said. “I know that she was keen on having a representative at Queen's Park soon, and that's what Sudbury residents really deserve.”

When asked if he's heard whether the vote will take place before the Ontario Legislature resumes sitting Feb. 17, Thibeault said he wasn't sure.

“I'd like it to be sooner than later,” he said. “But I'll have to leave it to the premier to announce that. I'm just going to focus on the campaign.

“We're all going to have to wear our long johns – it's going to be cold – but it's important that we keep working together.”