Following her speech, Panton explained to the media that the cause of her distress was a knee injury she had been battling. She stated that she hadn't stood so long on that knee since her surgery and the pain made her feel faint. But while she was told she could give the speech sitting down, she decided to fight through it.
Tracy Panton, Leader of the Opposition
"I had surgery recently on my right leg and I haven't tested it in terms of standing for that length of time. I'm healing, of course, I'm in therapy, but the pain had become so excruciating that I needed to take a break."
"I had to sit for a moment and so that's why we had the interruption. I was lightheaded, I was feeling unsteady on my feet. And that was caused by the pain. And so I really just needed to take a break."
"I didn't want to have any major event at my first formal sitting here at the house rebutting the budget. And so I thought it was best for me to ask for a short break so I could reset, so to speak."
"I could not stand on my feet for two hours. It's the first time I have tested it since having the procedure done on my leg. I did everything to prepare, to stand as long as I could. And I'm okay with that."
"I'm okay with that. I don't know who celebrates that. I had to say something about a person that would show no empathy for a person who is actually human."
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