The most notable of these occurred when McLeod withdrew Liberal support for the proposed Equality Rights Statute Amendment Act (Bill 167), which would have granted same-sex couples most of the same rights as opposite-sex common law couples, introduced by the NDP government of Bob Rae in 1994. The legislation was defeated after the majority of Liberal MPPs and twelve NDP MPPs joined with the entire Progressive Conservative caucus in voting against it. Many regarded McLeod's decision as cynical and opportunistic, and some believe that it was intended to boost Liberal fortunes in rural areas following a by-election loss in the rural, socially conservative riding of Victoria—Haliburton. The result, however, was that the party earned a reputation for "flip-flopping" and inconsistency, while offending its socially progressive supporters.