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Liberals win a minority government

Posted By: Katie Franzios · 10/7/2011 6:23:00 AM

Several cabinet ministers fell in the Ontario election as voters whittled Premier Dalton McGuinty's government into minority territory, though most incumbents managed to hang onto their seats.

All three major party leaders were re-elected in their ridings, as were most of McGuinty's top ministers. But the Liberals saw
several ridings in which high-profile politicians opted not to run again go to the Conservatives and the NDP.

McGuinty was re-elected in his Ottawa South riding, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak was declared the winner in his Niagara West-Glanbrook riding and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath won in Hamilton Centre.

Green party Leader Mike Schreiner lost in Simcoe-Grey, where he was challenging PC incumbent Jim Wilson.

Many prominent Liberals who held cabinet positions in the last government were also re-elected, though four cabinet ministers lost their seats.

Revenue Minister Sophia Aggelonitis lost her Hamilton Mountain seat to New Democrat Monique Taylor, a community activist. Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky lost her Prince Edward-Hastings riding to Conservative Todd Smith, a radio broadcaster.

Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell lost her Huron-Bruce seat to Conservative Lisa Thompson, general manager of the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative. Environment Minister John Wilkinson lost his Perth-Wellington seat to Conservative Randy Pettapiece, a former local councillor.

Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne, Energy Minister Brad Duguid, Attorney General Chris Bentley, Health Minister Deb Matthews and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan were all re-elected.

There were 14 ridings in which Liberals - many of them high-profile politicians in the last government - did not run again and several of them fell to either the Conservatives or the NDP.

The Liberals held onto just six of those ridings, with five snapped up by the Conservatives and three turning NDP orange.

Those cabinet ministers make up four of the 19 seats the Liberals lost this election. But at 53 seats it's as strong a minority as
possible out of 107 seats.

Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur won her Ottawa-Vanier riding, Tourism and Culture Minister Michael Chan was re-elected in his Markham-Unionville riding and Labour Minister Charles Sousa won in Mississauga South. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Eric Hoskins took his St. Paul's riding.

Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey won her Brampton-Springdale riding, Children and Youth Services Minister Laurel Broten won her Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding and Consumer Services Minister John Gerretsen was re-elected in Kingston and the
Islands.

Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle took Thunder Bay-Superior North. Research and Innovation Minister Glen Murray won in Toronto Centre.

Ex-minister Donna Cansfield, who was dropped from cabinet in a January 2010 shuffle, won in Etobicoke Centre. Greg Sorbara, the campaign chairman and prominent former finance minister, reclaimed his Vaughan riding.

Prominent Conservative Christine Elliott, the wife of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, was re-elected in Whitby-Oshawa. Conservatives Elizabeth Witmer and Frank Klees also held onto their seats.

Controversial Tory Randy Hillier won despite coming under fire during the election when it was revealed by CTV News that he owes about $15,000 in unpaid taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency.

The self-described libertarian, who competed against Hudak for the party crown, was banned from the legislature for staging a
44-hour sit-in over the harmonized sales tax.

Hillier was accused of working against longtime Tory Norm Sterling by campaigning for Jack MacLaren - who won the Carleton-Mississippi Mills riding - for the party's nomination.

Despite having the support of former premier Mike Harris, federal Tory John Baird and even Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, Sterling lost the bitter nomination battle to MacLaren, a former director of the Ontario Landowners Association.

Liberal Mike Colle, who has held a seat in the legislature since 1995 despite resigning a cabinet post amid scandal, held onto
Eglinton-Lawrence, defeating PC candidate Rocco Rossi.

Rossi was a card-carrying Liberal since age 11 and once raised millions for the Liberals as the federal party's national director,
but defected to run for the Conservatives. He also unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Toronto last year.

Michael Harris - not a prominent candidate, but one with a prominent name - beat incumbent Liberal Leeanna Pendergast in
Kitchener-Conestoga.

(Allison Jones, The Canadian Press)

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  1. liberal_disaster_again posted on 10/07/2011 09:18 AM
    Total Liberal disaster once again. Thanks to so many idiots in Ontario for continuing to support massive public debt and status as a have-not province that Liberals so cherish.

    You deserve what you got for your stupidity voting Liberals in again. This will be the new Greece, social democracy is an utter and complete failure. Big government is big waste. Buying green jobs at a 10X premium? What a waste.

    As soon as possible will be taking my business to another province this one is doomed by it's own stupidity.
  2. dougg posted on 10/07/2011 11:32 AM
    And people wonder why a lot of us dislike Toronto? Here is another reason-YOU VOYED FOR THE LIBERALS!!!. Maybe you should consider yourselves a province, wome of us want nothing to do with you and this is a prime example of why- YOU VOTED FOR THE LIBERALS!!!
    Why are my taxes going to go up-YOU VOTED FOR THE LIBERALS!!!
  3. TB posted on 10/07/2011 02:32 PM
    What a bunch of idiots in Ontario who voted for Dalton.
    The sly guy. Dont you Librals know he is just laughing in your face with that
    slanted smile that is always on his face. He is such an evil man.
    Congrats to all you evil librals!

    Pissed off in Mississauga.
    (maybe you Librals can pay my $400 hydro bill!)
  4. PaulH_8674 posted on 10/07/2011 09:52 PM
    Isn't it interesting how silent the Liberals have been about proportional representation after this election, considering the caterwauling they did after the Federal election? I did a bit of playing around with the numbers from yesterday's election. Of the 49% of those who voted, 37.62% voted Liberal, 35.43% voted Conservative, 22.73% voted NDP, 2.94% voted Green, and 1.28% either spoiled their ballots or voted for another party/individual. With proportional representation, the Liberals would have received 40 seats, the Conservatives 38, the NDP 24, the Greens 3, and others 2 seats. That would have been a far different parliament than the one we are going to be given.

    A very interesting observation: out of about 8.8 million eligible voters, and 4.5 million actual voters, the Liberals received fewer than 95,000 more votes than the PC's. This is the "Major Minority" with which Mr. McGuinty claims to be so happy. In
    bragging about his "Major Minority", with a full awareness of the numbers and proportional vote seat distribution scenario, Mr. McGuinty has presented us with the FIRST LIE of his third term in office. The master continues to practice his art.
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