Doug Ford elected to second straight majority government

Ontarians have given Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives a second straight majority government on the same night two opposition party leaders submitted their resignations.

It’s the first time the Conservatives have won back-to-back majorities since Mike Harris did it in 1995 and 1999.

Not only have the Conservatives returned to power but they will increase their seat count at Queen’s Park, leading or elected in 83 of the province’s 124 ridings, well beyond the 63 required for a majority.

In 2018, the Progressive Conservatives won 76 seats but held 67 when the legislature was dissolved ahead of the campaign, due to expulsions and resignations.

“We have made history,” bellowed Ford before a boisterous crowd who drowned him out with chants of ‘four more years’ at his victory party at the Toronto Congress Centre.

“Tonight’s victory, it isn’t about me, it isn’t about the party. This victory belongs to every worker who know that they deserve better, it belongs to every family that knows they can dream bigger. But most of all this victory belongs to each and every one of you.”

Ford himself easily won re-election in the riding of Etobicoke North – considered the heart of so-called Ford Nation – while a slew of PC cabinet ministers will also be returning to Queen’s Park.

Among them are Finance Minister Peter Bethlenfalvy, long-term care minister Paul Calandra, Vic Fedeli, who was most recently minister of economic development, Minister of Heritage Lisa MacLeod, and Labour Minister Monte McNaughton.

Ford said he will spend the next four years working for all Ontarians.

“Number one message I want to get out: It’s time for unity,” he said at a press conference.

“We want to make sure we unite this province. We want to move forward because it’s not us versus people down the street. It’s Ontario versus every jurisdiction in the world.”

Voter turnout was also expected to be around 45 per cent, which would be the lowest ever for an Ontario election, further highlighting an electorate that was unenthusiastic about change.

ONTARIO ELECTION 2022: Ontario election results by riding

Voters hoping to avoid another Progressive Conservative government failed to rally behind either the NDP or the Liberals to produce a presumptive challenger to Ford.

While NDP Leader Andrea Horwath was re-elected in Hamilton Centre and her party will be the official opposition at Queen’s Park, Horwath said after four tries at becoming premier it was time for her to pass the torch.

“My commitment to you is never going to waver and I’m going to keep working to earn your confidence each and every day,” she said before a crowd of supporters in Hamilton on Thursday evening.

“I’m going to keep doing that, but tonight, it’s time for me to pass the torch, to pass the baton, to hand off the leadership of the NDP. It makes me sad, but it makes me happy because our team is so strong.”

The Liberals will also be searching for a new leader after Steven Del Duca said the party would be moving forward without him after he lost in the riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge and the party itself failed to make any measurable gains from four years ago, failing to regain party status.

Ontario Liberal Leader Steven Del Duca makes an announcement on stopping Doug Ford at the Humber River-Black Creek campaign office of Liberal candidate Ida Li Preti in Toronto on Wednesday, June 1, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Aaron Vincent Elkaim

Green Leader Mike Schreiner was re-elected in his riding of Guelph. However, the party’s best hope for a second seat fell through as they lost to the Conservatives in the riding of Parry Sound-Muskoka. Schreiner has served as leader of the Greens since 2009, winning the party’s only seat at Queen’s Park four years ago.

Toronto Mayor John Tory offered his congratulations and expressed hope that they will continue to work together as the city and economy emerge from the pandemic.

“We have forged a strong intergovernmental partnership during the COVID-19 pandemic and I will work to ensure that continues so that the Toronto economy and the Ontario economy come back together stronger than ever,” said Tory. “And complete economic recovery will also require us to co-operate as we did during the pandemic including continuing the joint infrastructure investment so connected to growth and job creation.”

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also offered his congratulations, saying he looked forward to working with the Ford government to build a better future for all Ontarians.

“Over the past several years, the federal government, working with the province, has delivered historic investments in retooling our auto sector to build cleaner vehicles while creating and securing thousands of good jobs in communities across the province.”

PROMISE TRACKER: What the PCs promised during the election campaign

One of the first orders of business for the government will be to re-introduce the almost $200 billion budget that was tabled ahead of the election call. At the time, the PCs said the document would serve as the financial blueprint for its re-election campaign. Among the items promised by the government at that time:

• a tax break for those earning less than $50,000 a year
• spend $158.8 billion over 10 years for projects such as hospitals, transit and highways, including the controversial Highway 413 across Halton, Peel and York regions
• cutting the gas tax by 5.7 cents a litre for six months starting July 1, which is expected to cost the government $645 million
• increase disability support payment rates by five per cent and introduce legislation to tie annual increases to inflation

The Conservatives said at the time they weren’t planning to balance the budget until 2027-28, despite Ontario’s Financial Accountability Office saying recently that the province was on track to balance the budget by next year.

Files from The Canadian Press were used in this report