TORONTO – Several cabinet ministers fell in the Ontario election as voters whittled Premier Dalton McGuinty’s government into minority territory, though most incumbents managed to hang onto their seats.
All three major party leaders were re-elected in their ridings, as were most of McGuinty’s top ministers. But the Liberals saw several ridings in which high-profile politicians opted not to run again go to the Conservatives and the NDP.
McGuinty was re-elected in his Ottawa South riding, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak was declared the winner in his Niagara West-Glanbrook riding and NDP Leader Andrea Horwath won in Hamilton Centre.
Green party Leader Mike Schreiner lost in Simcoe-Grey, where he was challenging PC incumbent Jim Wilson.
Many prominent Liberals who held cabinet positions in the last government were also re-elected, though four cabinet ministers lost their seats.
Revenue Minister Sophia Aggelonitis lost her Hamilton Mountain seat to New Democrat Monique Taylor, a community activist. Education Minister Leona Dombrowsky lost her Prince Edward-Hastings riding to Conservative Todd Smith, a radio broadcaster.
Agriculture Minister Carol Mitchell lost her Huron-Bruce seat to Conservative Lisa Thompson, general manager of the Ontario Dairy Goat Co-operative. Environment Minister John Wilkinson lost his Perth-Wellington seat to Conservative Randy Pettapiece, a former local councillor.
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Transportation Minister Kathleen Wynne, Energy Minister Brad Duguid, Attorney General Chris Bentley, Health Minister Deb Matthews and Finance Minister Dwight Duncan were all re-elected.
There were 14 ridings in which Liberals – many of them high-profile politicians in the last government – did not run again and several of them fell to either the Conservatives or the NDP.
The Liberals held onto just six of those ridings, with five snapped up by the Conservatives and three turning NDP orange.
Those cabinet ministers make up four of the 19 seats the Liberals lost this election. But at 53 seats it’s as strong a minority as possible out of 107 seats.
Community and Social Services Minister Madeleine Meilleur won her Ottawa-Vanier riding, Tourism and Culture Minister Michael Chan was re-elected in his Markham-Unionville riding and Labour Minister Charles Sousa won in Mississauga South. Citizenship and Immigration Minister Eric Hoskins took his St. Paul’s riding.
Natural Resources Minister Linda Jeffrey won her Brampton-Springdale riding, Children and Youth Services Minister Laurel Broten won her Etobicoke-Lakeshore riding and Consumer Services Minister John Gerretsen was re-elected in Kingston and the Islands.
Northern Development Minister Michael Gravelle took Thunder Bay-Superior North. Research and Innovation Minister Glen Murray won in Toronto Centre.
Ex-minister Donna Cansfield, who was dropped from cabinet in a January 2010 shuffle, won in Etobicoke Centre. Greg Sorbara, the campaign chairman and prominent former finance minister, reclaimed his Vaughan riding.
Prominent Conservative Christine Elliott, the wife of federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, was re-elected in Whitby-Oshawa. Conservatives Elizabeth Witmer and Frank Klees also held onto their seats.
Controversial Tory Randy Hillier won despite coming under fire during the election when it was revealed by CTV News that he owes about $15,000 in unpaid taxes to the Canada Revenue Agency.
The self-described libertarian, who competed against Hudak for the party crown, was banned from the legislature for staging a 44-hour sit-in over the harmonized sales tax.
Hillier was accused of working against longtime Tory Norm Sterling by campaigning for Jack MacLaren – who won the Carleton-Mississippi Mills riding – for the party’s nomination.
Despite having the support of former premier Mike Harris, federal Tory John Baird and even Conservative Senator Mike Duffy, Sterling lost the bitter nomination battle to MacLaren, a former director of the Ontario Landowners Association.
Liberal Mike Colle, who has held a seat in the legislature since 1995 despite resigning a cabinet post amid scandal, held onto Eglinton-Lawrence, defeating PC candidate Rocco Rossi.
Rossi was a card-carrying Liberal since age 11 and once raised millions for the Liberals as the federal party’s national director, but defected to run for the Conservatives. He also unsuccessfully ran for mayor of Toronto last year.
Michael Harris – not a prominent candidate, but one with a prominent name – beat incumbent Liberal Leeanna Pendergast in Kitchener-Conestoga.
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