Friday, October 7, 2011 12:08 PM EDT
With Liberals on short leash, Hudak vows to fight any tax hikes
STEVE LADURANTAYE
Tim Hudak will try to co-operate with his competitors to make Queen’s Park work – but the Progressive Conservative Leader says any attempts by the minority Liberals to raise taxes will be met with stiff resistance.
Speaking the morning after his party picked up 12 new seats but fell short of knocking off the incumbent Liberals, Mr. Hudak said the province “voted for change” even if they didn’t hand him a majority government.
“No doubt it wasn’t the result we wanted. Voters sent a message to all of the party leaders and it was a message of change,” he said. “They made it clear they want us to hold Dalton McGuinty on a very short leash.”
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Friday, October 7, 2011 5:17 PM EDT
Holding the balance of power, Horwath calls for stable Ontario
Adrian Morrow
She may be Ontario's new kingmaker, but Andrea Horwath struck a sober note Friday morning as the dust settled on an election that gave her party its best result in a generation.
Rather than making any hard-and-fast demands from Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty -- who, holding one seat less than a majority, will need her support in the new legistlature -- the NDP leader called for stability.
“I think people want a stable Ontario and that's what I'm prepared to do,” she said at a farmer's market in downtown Hamilton. “I've never been one to draw lines in the sand or say 'it's my way or the highway'.”
She refuted any suggestion the Liberals would be able to lure one of her MPPs away to give them a majority, reiterated her call for the premier to recall the legislature as soon as possible and said that, despite Mr. McGuinty's attacks on her during the dying days of the campaign, she would be able to work with both he and Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak.
Her tone was a departure from the euphoric atmosphere the night before, as about 400 party faithful gathered at a nearby convention centre to watch the NDP pick up seven seats and take 22 per cent of the popular vote.
At times, the tenor of the celebration seemed out of proportion to the fact that the party remained a distant third, some 20 seats behind the Tories. But to the NDP, it was a victory: not only will it hold the balance of power in the new provincial parliament, but the result gives it reason to hope it has finally shaken the spectre of its unpopular run in government during the early 1990s. Not since then-premier Bob Rae led the party to defeat in 1995 has it seen the level of voter support it received Thursday.
The reasons for the result were manifold. In part, the NDP's unexpected success in last May's federal vote buoyed party members, who hoped for a similar surge during the provincial campaign; the perception Mr. McGuinty was vulnerable and the prospect of holding the balance of power in a hung parliament also helped energize the party. Ms. Horwath herself was a factor, possessed of a personable, folksy style which seemed to embody the party's image as champions of regular, middle-class people. Her campaign played on this, with unscripted encounters with voters and a deliberate avoidance of negative advertising.
"I think that she's a breath of fresh air," said Bob Brock, 64, a Hamilton resident who had never voted NDP before, but marked his "x" for Ms. Horwath after her performance in the leaders' debate convinced him she could rise above the petty squabbling at Queen's Park. "I just think that she can make the MPPs grow up and show their age. I think she'll work well with the other parties."
Her campaign also eschewed traditional left-wing messaging around themes like social programs and the environment, in favour of more populist pledges like reducing the HST and cutting government waste.
Friday, October 7, 2011 9:07 AM EDT
Voter turnout hits dispiriting low in Ontario
John Ibbitson
Although it could be weeks before elections officials provide a the final tally, back-of-envelope calculations suggest the turnout in Thursday’s Ontario provincial election may have dropped to an unprecedented and dispiriting low.
Of the roughly 8.5 million citizens who were eligible to vote, about 4.1 million, or 48 per cent, appear to have cast ballots. This despite fine weather across the province.
Traditionally, the party with the better organization profits from a low voter turnout. There will be much analysis in the days to come over whether the Conservatives or the Liberals profited from the dismal numbers.
The results contrast with the federal election last May, where turnout modestly increased, to just over 61 per cent.
Friday, October 7, 2011 9:15 AM EDT
Winners and losers: McGuinty heads back to Queen’s Park with empty seats in cabinet
GLORIA GALLOWAY
Dalton McGuinty heads back to work today with a minority government and some empty seats to fill around his cabinet table.
Four Liberal cabinet ministers were defeated in Thursday’s election and others managed to hang on by the skin of their teeth.
But there were also some key victories for Liberal incumbents in ridings where the tea leaves had predicted them to go down to defeat.
Among the big names to fall was Environment Minister John Wilkinson. Mr. Wilkinson, who was defeated by a Conservative in the riding of Perth-Wellington, had been handed the unenviable task of selling the public on the harmonized sales tax when he was Revenue Minister and may have paid for that service.
Like Mr. Wilkinson, Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky lost her riding of Prince Edward-Hastings to a Conservative. She was first elected in 1999 and had held several cabinet portfolios over the course of her political career. She was defeated by Todd Smith, a local radio station news director.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 7:19 PM EDT
Majority within McGuinty's grasp on eve of Ontario election, poll suggests
STEVE LADURANTAYE
The Liberals have pulled away from the pack and are on track to win a third majority government in Ontario, according a poll by Ipsos Reid released Tuesday.
The poll “suggests the Ontario Liberals are headed back into government at Queen’s Park with an assured minority and poised for a potential historic three-peat majority.”
The pollsters said regardless of Thursday’s vote, Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty will walk away a winner. The only question is whether he commands a majority or minority, according to the poll.
The poll puts the Liberal party at 41 per cent among decided voters, the Progressive Conservatives at 31 per cent and the NDP at 25 per cent. Most polling has shown the Liberals and Conservatives running in a dead heat.
“In July, an Ipsos Reid poll showed Hudak with an eleven-point lead, saying that it was Hudak’s election to lose,” Ipsos Reid said. “Over the course of the last three months, Hudak’s Tories have dropped 11 points, while McGuinty’s Liberals have gained 10 points, a complete reversal in fortunes.”
The poll has the Liberals leading with 42 per cent in the GTA, compared to 32 per cent for the Tories. The NDP is at 21 per cent.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 10:53 PM EDT
PC candidate makes great escape after homophobic flyer lands him in hot water
STEVE LADURANTAYE
It's safe to say Ben Shenouda didn't feel like talking to the media yesterday. Even so, I didn't expect to be knocked out of the way so the suddenly controversial candidate could slip out a back door and avoid questions in the midst of a very public provincial election.
The Progressive Conservative candidate for Brampton West spent the day avoiding calls after officially endorsed campaign flyers were distributed in his riding that had critics accusing the party of homophobia.
Using a series of one-liners, the flyer warned parents that a Liberal government would teach children to cross dress at the age of six and that kissing booths would be set up to help children learn about gender issues.
Both claims were wildly misinterpreted bits of misinformation that had their genesis in an aborted plan by the Liberals to overhaul the province's sex ed curriculum.
The story can be found here, so no need to rehash. But safe to say, he knew when he showed up at a Brampton rally with leader Tim Hudak that the reporters who follow Mr. Hudak around the province may ask him to explain himself.
So with that in mind, I raced toward him as soon as Mr. Hudak finished talking. With Genevieve Tomney from CBC at my side, I told him who we were and asked if he'd talk to us. He nodded, and said he needed to follow Mr. Hudak out of the building first.
So we followed. And every time there was a pause in the procession, we'd identify ourselves ask him again. It was clear he meant to get away, and he stopped talking to us. Within a minute, there were very large men starting to form a circle around him and trying to force us to the outside.
They were pretty good at it. By the time the procession reached a narrow walkway, I had taken an elbow in the ribs and been yelled at to get out of the way. A campaign staffer reached out and blocked Ms. Tomney's way, actually making contact.
We asked another campaign worker if they were really whisking Mr. Shenouda out the back door, but he just screamed they were just trying to get Mr. Hudak out of the building, just like they do every night.
And with that, Mr. Shenouda was gone without ever explaining his divisive flyer.
The campaign didn't explain the flyer either, instead throwing the focus back to the Liberals by suggesting the party would institute new sex ed guidelines without consulting parents. The Liberals have pledged to engage in consultations before making any changes.
After Mr. Shenouda's great escape, the campaign worker (who usually rides in a separate vehicle) rode to the airport with us and apologized. He said it wasn't likely that the party's security detail tried to keep us away from the party's candidate. He asked if we were OK.
We're fine, of course. But the voters of Brampton West deserved better - even a no comment would have been more becoming of someone seeking public office.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 10:54 PM EDT
Investigate Liberal worker’s cigarette bribe comment, Ontario Tories demand
Carys Mills
Ontario’s Conservatives are demanding an investigation into allegations that a Liberal worker made comments about bribing voters with cigarettes.
A letter was sent from the Conservatives’ lawyer on Friday calling for a probe by Elections Ontario based on a front-page Toronto Sun story from the same day.
It was reported that Nikki Holland, the operational vice-president of organization for the Liberal campaign, made the comments at a campaign session last July. The allegations surfaced with the parties less than a week away from election day.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 7:24 PM EDT
McGuinty's busy hands: Reading the Liberal Leader's debate body language
Tu Thanh Ha
Taxes and health-care and electricity costs were the traditional items on the bill of fare of the Ontario televised debate. What wasn’t expected was Dalton McGuinty’s body language.
The usually wooden Liberal Leader surprised viewers with his broad hand gestures, a repertoire of palm-waving, index-pointing, finger-ticking moves that lit up online comments and became a fodder for jokes.
“If we could harness McGuinty's hands, we'd have a ton of wind power energy right there,” businesswoman Karen Siwak tweeted.
“If Dalton McGuinty proved anything tonight it's that he would make a great third-base coach,” wrote University of Victoria political scientist Emmett Macfarlane.
Overnight, a satirical Tweeter account sprang up, with entries such as: “I was going for something between Kate Bush and the Safety Dance. Only time will tell if I succeeded.”
By Wednesday morning, the spin from Liberal insiders was that it was necessary for Mr. McGuinty to show passion, in order to prove he has the fire in his belly needed for a third term.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 10:55 PM EDT
McGuinty woos Toronto’s youth hours before debate
Carys Mills
Hours before Tuesday’s debate between the leaders fighting to govern Ontario, Dalton McGuinty spoke to thousands of people who probably aren’t old enough to vote.
The Liberal Leader thanked about 18,000 screaming high school students for their imagination at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre. He was one of the first on stage at We Day, a day-long youth empowerment event with the founders of Free the Children, TV stars and singers.
“Did you know that we human beings, are the only species blessed with the power of imagination?” he said.
“Now we need to imagine a world where there are no more wars, there’s no more poverty, there’s no more famine, there’s no more destruction of our natural environment,” Mr. McGuinty said before telling a short story about Canada’s first female astronaut.
Mr. McGuinty didn’t mention the Oct. 6 election. Nor did he mention the debate, which begins at 6:30 p.m., but he’s probably spending the day prepping since his public campaign schedule is empty for the rest of the day.
The three leaders are expected to arrive at CBC in Toronto, where the debate will be held, shortly after 5 p.m.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011 7:30 PM EDT
Women in cabinet responsible for nearly 80 per cent of budget: McGuinty
Carys Mills
Surrounded by female candidates, Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty made his pitch to those at a lunch hosted by a non-profit women’s business group on Monday.
He boasted that he has a record-setting 42 female candidates and brought those in the audience to the stage at the lunch, hosted by Catalyst Canada at Toronto’s Fairmont Royal York.
“It’s because of the leadership of women in our caucus that we’ve landed trade agreements with companies from around the world,” said Mr. McGuinty, who added improved surgical wait times, drug reforms and public transit decisions have also been thanks to women.
On the Hustings Contributors
Steve Ladurantaye
Steve Ladurantaye wrote about technology companies in Ottawa before reporting for the Peterborough Examiner and Kingston Whig-Standard, where he won a National Newspaper Award for explanatory journalism. After joining the Globe and Mail in 2007, his work has regularly appeared in Report On Business and Globe Investor Magazine.
Adam Radwanski
Adam Radwanski is the Queen's Park columnist for The Globe and Mail. Previously a member of The Globe's editorial board and the Politics Editor for globeandmail.com, he was formerly the managing editor of Macleans.ca. He has worked as an editorial writer and columnist at the National Post and as a columnist for the Ottawa Citizen and The Hill Times, and was the founder of Canada'a first online political magazine. Adam has also written extensively on the arts, doubling as the Post's music critic from 2004-06. He won the 2009 National Newspaper Award for editorial writing, for which he was also a finalist the previous year.
Karen Howlett
Karen Howlett has been based in The Globe’s Queen’s Park bureau since 2005, where she covers Ontario politics and policy issues, including health care and electricity. She previously worked in the paper’s Vancouver bureau and in the Report on Business, where her coverage of financial services led to numerous awards, including two Michener nominations for projects she led and a National Newspaper Award for a series in which she participated.
Kim Mackrael
Before joining the Globe and Mail in June, Kim worked at the Guelph Mercury and contributed to the Canadian Press, the Ottawa Citizen and CBC radio. Kim Mackrael studied international development at the University of Guelph and journalism at Carleton University.
