Tory suspended Murdoch from the caucus last week after the outspoken party veteran said it was time Tory considered other job options.

Murdoch wasn't invited on the Conservative float with 10 of the 25 other caucus members for the opening parade at the huge rural fair and exhibition, so he rode alone on a donated fire truck and was cheered as the "voice of the people" by some rural supporters.

"I'm almost humbled by the amount of people that have stopped, jumped off their tractors, come over and (gave) me a hug and everything," a beaming Murdoch told reporters.

"A lot of people think I'm suffering; I'm okay. I'm used to being on my own a lot, so I'm fine."

In contrast, Tory's float was greeted with cries of "leave Murdoch alone" and "back off Murdoch."

The party leader said he only heard one such comment.

"One person said that. Lots of other people said "Where's Bill?" in a very lighthearted way, and we pointed back to where he was in a lighthearted way," said Tory.

"I can assure you there were lots and lots of people - as my colleagues would attest to - calling out encouragement to us and to me as well; not about Bill Murdoch, just about what we're trying to do."

Members of the Liberal government caucus chanted Murdoch's name as they invited him up on their float before the parade to pose for pictures, although Premier Dalton McGuinty discreetly stayed off the float until the rouge Conservative had gone back to his fire truck.

Murdoch may indeed be very popular, but "even popular people... have to abide by a certain set of rules," said Tory.

"I met a man this morning who told me he works at a co-op and he said if he was out dissing his general manager in the newspapers he'd lose his job."

But Crystal Taylor, a Blyth resident and president of the Blyth Legion, said she didn't think Murdoch's suspension was fair, and was standing by him.

"He calls a spade a spade and that's what we need," she said.

"If we had a few more of those we'd be a lot better. There's a lot of people who tell us one thing and do another, but he does what he says he's going to do."

Murdoch agreed to meet with Tory and the entire caucus sometime next week, but said he wouldn't back down from saying the party needs a new leader.

"No, I haven't changed my mind on anything yet," he said.

"I didn't actually say John should resign. I did say if a good job comes along he might want to take it - you can construe that anyway you want - but it wasn't 'you've got to resign.'

"It's just if another job comes along, that the Blue Jays want him, then he should go there."

There have been rumours that Tory, who once ran the Canadian Football League, was being considered for a top job with Toronto's major league baseball franchise.

Murdoch said he had lost faith in Tory's leadership and was pinning his hopes on some of the other Conservative caucus members speaking up on his behalf.

"There's more than the henchmen that John (Tory) appointed, the four henchmen that he put in there and they want me out of there," he said.

"There's a lot more in caucus and, if they have a right to have a say, some may not appreciate what's going on."

The 18-year veteran member from Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound said he knew some caucus members were on his side because his suspension last week was actually a firing at first.

"I must have (had some support in caucus) because at eight o'clock I was fired and at 12 o'clock I was suspended," he said.

Murdoch said he's prepared to sit as an independent member of the legislature if necessary, but assumed his seat would still be with the rest of the Conservative caucus when members return to the provincial legislature next Monday for the fall session.