While Doug Ford and the third majority of progressive conservatives, the third majority was obviously the most significant development of this week’s ontary elections, but the results on Thursday night also brought other political ramifications.
This includes the claim of the PC party strategy to campaign on the tariff threat of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, and successfully sell Ford as the best leader to deal with that.
“The conservatives correctly calculated that this would be the vote question due to what is happening with the Trump administration and [that] Ford would do well in that ballot question, “said Jonathan Malloy, professor of Political Science at Carleton at Ottawa.
Another conclusion is whether the expensive Snap election was worth it, or simply “an exercise of $ 190 million to preserve the status quo,” said Andrea Lawlor, associate professor of Political Science at McMaster University in Hamilton.
“We saw so little movement in terms of seats.”
According to the unofficial results, the PCs were chosen or led with 80 seats, followed by the NDP with 27, the liberals with 14, the green with 2 and a seat held by an independent candidate.
Here are some key conclusions of the party’s results party:
Progressive conservatives: “A majority can do the job”
Ford became the first leader of Ontario to win a third majority since 1959. His party is currently elected or leads in 80 seats, only one more than when the legislature was dissolved in January, and three less than the game collected in its majority victory of 2022.
This means that conservatives will retain around 65 percent of the total seat count in the Ontario Legislature.
From Ford’s historical victory to a humble loss in Mississauga for Crombie, looks at the most prominent aspects of the province’s winter elections, freed in front of Donald Trump’s tariff threats.
Although it was a great victory, the party had been waiting for a largest Queen Park of Barty, in the range of seats of more than 90 or 90. Ford himself, announcing in January that he would be triggering an election, said they needed the “biggest mandate in Ontario’s history to advance in this province.”
To that end, the PCs had addressed a series of cables that expected to be able to turn, but mostly were not successful.
However, Lawlor said that, although there is close attention in the total number of PC seats, it is also important to consider the extra time they have secured to govern with a solid majority.
“At the end of the day, 90 seats or 83 seats, a majority can do the work in the legislature without the support of the opposition.”
NDP: ‘In a retention pattern’
Some surveys suggested that the leader of the NDP Marit Stiles may not have been good for the night of the elections, and that his party was going to lose ground against the liberals. They ended with a lower vote participation (around 18.6 percent) in total than liberals (around 30 percent).
But the game won its seats through small margins and ended with a total seat larger than the liberals, although one less than the NDP had in the solution.
Lawlor said that while the party did not increase its number of seats, it managed to maintain its position, avoiding the potential loss of progressive votes for the liberals.
“It is not a loss. But I would not say that it is an overwhelming statement of Victoria. “
However, Malloy also pointed out that the Ontario NDP has won the official opposition status in three consecutive provincial elections.
“But his inability to gain more traction is really quite remarkable,” he said. “They seem to be in a retention pattern.”
Liberals: ‘They have a long way to go’
The provincial liberals had three objectives: to return to the official status of the party, return to the official opposition and win a seat for their leader, Bonnie Crombie. In the end, they found the reference point of 12 seats to recover the status of official party, but failed in the other two.
“I think it’s bittersweet,” Malloy said. “When you think about how bad things have been for the Liberal Party of Ontario during the last seven years, some good things happened to them. [Thursday night].
They increased their seat count to become an official match and increased their popular vote far ahead of the NDP, he said.
“They definitely improved, but they have a long way to go.”
Lawlor said that the part of the liberals in the popular vote can relieve the party, knowing that there are still a group of inhabitants of ontaries willing to leave and vote for it. Almost one in three voters cast a vote for the party.
She said that if that had not materialized, the party would have wondered what her role forward is, specifically in the next four years, since she is relegated to such a small opposition.
As for the future of Crombie: the former mayor of Mississauga has said that he intends to remain as a party leader, although the liberals could ask for a leadership review.
“I would suggest that with a crombie wanting to stay, The party has no real interest in changing leaders, “Lawlor said.” I don’t think there is anyone aligned for work. “
But Crombie’s task will be a challenge without a seat, where the coverage of the media is often focused on the opposition parties held by the accounts government, Lawlor said.
“Crombie can still be effective outside the house, but he really has to play so that the cover of the media is seen as someone who is holding Ford’s feet to the fire.”
Green Party: ‘Continue fighting’
The Green Party maintained its two seats, including a third mandate for leader Mike Schreiner in Guelph, but did not reach their hopes of lifting a Sound Parry Muskoka seat for Matt Richter.
A victory there would have suggested that there may be some growth of the matches. But as it is, the greens are still something limited in their legislative presence, said Lawlor.
“At the end of the day, two seats do not even approach the status of the official party. And therefore, you know, the green continue to fight to gain ground in Ontario.”
Malloy said the results show that the Green Party has a presence in Ontario’s policy, but seems to be largely focused on the leader, as well as the Federal Green Party.
“There is no sense of a larger part or institutionalized group that can be extended to other regions.”
