After calling an election to “secure a mandate” for Ontario’s response to the threat of U.S. tariffs, Doug Ford got what he asked for, securing a third consecutive majority government victory in Ontario.
The election was billed by Ford as a way to ensure the PC government would have a four-year mandate that would outlast the Trump administration.
The Ontario PCs were declared the winners Thursday evening, just minutes after polls were closed. With 96% of polls reported, the Conservatives were elected with 81 seats, surpassing the 63 seats required to secure a majority. The PCs lost three seats, however, when compared to the 83 seats it won in 2022.
“I’m very, very grateful, and I’ll work my back off every day. Every morning I wake up, I’ll work hard,” Ford told reporters. “I’m very grateful to the people of Ontario, and we’re going to make sure we protect the people of Ontario and protect their families and their jobs and businesses, and I’ll fight tooth and nail against Donald Trump. I’ll promise you.”
Though Ford won less support than last election, he said he’s very “fortunate,” grateful, and “humbled” for winning three majorities in a row.
“As we stare down the thread of Donald Trump’s tariffs, I will continue to do just that,” Ford said in his victory speech. “I will work with every level of government and every political stripe, because fighting back against Donald Trump standing up for Canada, it will take a full team Ontario effort.”
The Ontario NDP party under Marit Stiles retained its official opposition status, with Stiles winning her Davenport Toronto riding seat. The NDP were elected in 25 – down from the 31 seats it held since 2022.
Bonnie Crombie’s Ontario Liberals were elevated back to official party status, elected in 14 seats and leading in two ridings. A party requires 12 seats to be an official party in the legislature. This is an increase of five seats from the eight seats the Liberals held in the 2022 election.
However, Crombie lost her seat in Mississauga East Cooksville to the PC candidate, Silvia Gualtieri, Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown’s mother-in-law.
Crombie said that although she was defeated, she will stay on as the leader of the Ontario Liberal Party.
As of 10:30 pm, the Liberals had 30% of the popular vote, the NDP had around 19% and the victorious PC’s took 43% of the vote share.
“They said the Ontario Liberal Party was dead tonight. You proved them wrong,” Crombie told to her supporters at her election party. “The Ontario Liberal Party is back to official party status, and that’s a big milestone. We increase our share of the votes substantially to 30%, double digits over the NDP.”
The Green Party won 2 seats, and its leader, Michael Schreiner, was re-elected in Guelph, though his party continues not to hold official party status in the legislature.
Independent MPP Sarah Jama, known for getting kicked out of the NDP caucus for her pro-Hamas views, lost her seat to Robin Lennox, the NDP candidate.
Jennifer French, the NDP incumbent for Oshawa, won her seat. True North visited the riding to ask voters what mattered to them during an advance voting day.
The final results are expected to be tallied Friday, though one thing is certain: Ford will represent Ontario during Trump’s entire presidency.
Only about 6% of eligible voters participated in advance polls, down from 9.92% who voted in advance polls in 2022.
Overall turnout last election was a record low at 44%. Voter turnout data will be released after all the ballots have been counted.
As part of Ford’s platform, he promised $40 billion in new spending if Trump’s tariffs are implemented. He made no promise of balancing the budget as he did when he first won in 2018.
Despite his pledge to balance the budget by 2025, Ford’s government has spent more tax dollars annually than any provincial government in Ontario’s history – barring only Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty in 2010.