Two elected. Two defeated. Now the question is, who will the party leaders be when Ontario's legislature resumes?
Only half of the major party leaders managed to win their seats in the provincial election Wednesday: Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty and NDP Leader Howard Hampton were easy winners in their ridings.
But neither Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory nor the Greens' Frank de Jong prevailed in their ridings.
McGuinty easily retook Ottawa South over his nearest rival. It took just 36 minutes after polls closed at 9 p.m. ET (8 p.m. CT) for the CBC Decision Desk to declare a Liberal majority, but it took about 15 more minutes before the Ontario premier could be safely projected as the winner in his Ottawa enclave.
And while Hampton had no problem being re-elected for the sixth time in his northern riding of Kenora-Rainy River, he now joins the other leaders whose parties lost with questions being asked about how much longer they should stay on.
After three campaigns as leader and without a breakthrough, some are wondering whether Hampton will want to lead the NDP through another campaign.
In his speech to party faithful he didn't give an indication of what he has in mind. Instead he chose to focus on the highlights of the NDP campaign and congratulate those members who managed to withstand the Liberal tide.
But for Tory and de Jong, the message from voters and their parties is different.
De Jong was soundly thrashed in his west-end Toronto riding, putting an end to yet another attempt by the Greens to elect a member anywhere in Canada. But even after 14 years of leading Ontario's Greens, surprisingly few party members are questioning de Jong's continued leadership, or whether he should head another campaign.
For many, the Green party under de Jong has made important gains in the popular vote, even if it has failed to capture a seat.
But it is Tory, who chose to run in a tough riding against a formidable Liberal opponent, who seems to have lost the most as a result of the four-week campaign. At least for now, he's not saying what his plans are.
Defeated in Don Valley-West by Kathleen Wynne, the Liberal education minister, Tory is a man without a seat, heading a fractious party with members who openly defied him on what he called a crucial issue: funding for faith-based schools.
Newly elected maverick MP Randy Hillier gave John Tory's continued leadership a tepid endorsement. "I'll have to look at the result again in the calm of tomorrow," he told CBC News.
Created in 1999, the riding of Don Valley-West was carved out of two old PC strongholds, but was snapped up by the Liberals in 2003.
Tory's attempt to win it back was a calculated risk, but one that fell drastically short. Some observers have questioned Tory's thinking in making the decision to run there instead of a safer seat.
"The writing's on the wall for Tory," said political scientist Lydia Miljan in a telephone interview from Windsor, Ont. "If he hasn't already it's just a matter of days if not weeks for him to resign his position as leader and call for another leadership race."
But in his concession speech Tory said he's staying on as leader, for now, anyway.
"I will have my job to do as leader of our party," he told supporters who greeted the announcement with applause. But Tory said it without much enthusiasm.
Heading into the campaign, Tory looked confident and assured. But after a month of pounding followed his proposal to extend public funding to all faith-based schools — and not just to the Catholic schools that currently receive full funding — Tory is looking at having to convince a Conservative MPP to step down so he can run in a byelection.
The next few days will be important for all the party leaders, but especially for Hampton and Tory.
If they decide to stay on, they may both face internal challenges to their leadership.
If they decide to leave, it will open up a much wider debate not only about who will lead the Conservatives and the New Democrats but also about the future direction of right- and left-wing politics in Ontario.
Ontario Votes 2007 »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
District Profiles
More Ontario Votes Headlines »
- McGuinty wins massive majority, Tory loses seat
- Dalton McGuinty won a second majority government for the Liberals in Ontario on Wednesday night, a triumph for a party that earlier expressed fears of a drop to minority status.
- Ontario rejects electoral reform in referendum
- Ontario voters have rejected a proposed electoral reform that would have seen some provincial legislators chosen based on a party's share of the popular vote, results showed Thursday.
- Ontario voter turnout a record low
- The percentage of eligible voters casting ballots in Wednesday's Ontario election hit an all-time low despite changes introduced in an effort to boost turnout.
- Ont. Green party scores 8 per cent of vote
- No Green party candidates made it to the Ontario legislature in Wednesday's election, but that defeat was sweetened by a swell in their share of the popular vote, which more than doubled.
- McGuinty only leader not facing leadership questions
- Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty won re-election in Ottawa South and NDP Leader Howard Hampton again won his northern Ontario riding of Kenora-Rainy River. PC Leader John Tory was defeated.
