PC teen sworn in as youngest-ever member of Ontario's legislature

Nineteen-year-old Sam Oosterhoff has been sworn in as the youngest-ever member of the Ontario legislature.

The Progressive Conservative was elected Nov. 17 in a byelection in Niagara West-Glanbrook, previously held by former party leader Tim Hudak.

Oosterhoff says he delayed his swearing in — which could have happened as early as Monday — so family members could attend the ceremony.

But the delay also meant that Oosterhoff avoided a vote Tuesday on a bill giving more rights to same-sex parents that he is opposed to because it replaces the words "mother" and "father" with "parent."

Oosterhoff was backed during the byelection by social conservatives, who are against the bill, and a vote in favour of it could have angered those supporters, but party leader Patrick Brown had said he expected all of his caucus to vote for the bill, so a vote against it would have been problematic for Brown.

Oosterhoff said on his way to the swearing in that he is "absolutely not" a homophobe, but he refused to repudiate a post he linked to on Facebook saying homosexuality is a sin.

The Canadian Press