2007 Ontario general election

Canadian provincial election, 2007 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2007 Ontario general election

The 2007 Ontario general election was held on October 10, 2007, to elect members (MPPs) of the 39th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada. The Liberals under Premier Dalton McGuinty won the election with a majority government, winning 71 out of a possible 107 seats with 42.2% of the popular vote. The election saw the third-lowest voter turnout in Ontario provincial elections, setting a then record for the lowest voter turnout with 52.8% of people who were eligible voted. This broke the previous record of 54.7% in the 1923 election,[1] but would end up being surpassed in the 2011 and 2022 elections.

Quick Facts 107 seats in the 39th Legislative Assembly of Ontario 54 seats were needed for a majority, Turnout ...
2007 Ontario general election

 2003 October 10, 2007 2011 

107 seats in the 39th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
54 seats were needed for a majority
Turnout52.8%
  First party Second party
  Thumb Thumb
Leader Dalton McGuinty John Tory
Party Liberal Progressive Conservative
Leader since December 1, 1996 September 18, 2004
Leader's seat Ottawa South Ran in Don Valley West (lost)[a]
Last election 72 seats, 46.47% 24 seats, 34.67%
Seats before 67 25
Seats won 71 26
Seat change 4 1
Popular vote 1,867,273 1,398,806
Percentage 42.25% 31.62%
Swing 4.22pp 3.05pp

  Third party Fourth party
  Thumb Thumb
Leader Howard Hampton Frank de Jong
Party New Democratic Green
Leader since June 22, 1996 1993
Leader's seat Kenora—Rainy River Ran in Davenport (lost)
Last election 7 seats, 14.69% 0 seats, 2.81%
Seats before 10 0
Seats won 10 0
Seat change
Popular vote 741,465 354,897
Percentage 16.76% 8.02%
Swing 2.07pp 5.21pp

Thumb
Popular vote by riding. As this is an FPTP election, seat totals are not determined by popular vote, but instead via results by each riding. Riding names are listed at the bottom.

Premier before election

Dalton McGuinty
Liberal

Premier after election

Dalton McGuinty
Liberal

Close

As a result of legislation passed by the Legislature in 2004, election dates are now fixed by formula so that an election is held approximately four years after the previous election, unless the government is defeated by a vote of "no confidence" in the Legislature. Previously, the governing party had considerable flexibility to determine the date of an election anywhere up to five years of being elected. The date of this election was originally presumed to be October 4, 2007;[2] however, the law fixes the date on the first Thursday of October or on any day within seven days thereof if required to accommodate a date of "religious or cultural significance". The date was set as October 10, 2007, to avoid a conflict with the Jewish holiday of Shemini Atzeret, which fell on October 4, 2007.[2]

In the same election, there was a provincial referendum on whether to change from first-past-the-post to mixed member proportional representation, as recommended by the Ontario Citizens' Assembly on Electoral Reform. This measure failed, with 37% of the participating electorate and 5 out of 107 ridings voting for the new system; a 60% supermajority was required province-wide, with at least 2/3 of the ridings also supporting it by a simple majority.[3]

Issues

Summarize
Perspective

Although all four parties released a variety of detailed platform proposals, the campaign was dominated almost entirely by John Tory's promise to extend public funding to Ontario's faith-based schools.[4]

In Ontario at present, the Catholic school system is fully funded in the same manner as public schools. However, other religious schools, such as Jewish, Muslim or Evangelical Christian schools, are not funded by the province. This discrepancy has been cited as discriminatory by both the Supreme Court of Canada and the United Nations Human Rights Committee, although to date the province has taken no action to change its existing school funding policies, on the grounds that Catholic school funding in the province is mandated by the Constitution of Canada.

Tory's proposal to extend funding to religious schools was controversial, with polls confirming that a clear majority of Ontarians opposed the proposal. Even some of Tory's own caucus, most notably Bill Murdoch and Garfield Dunlop, openly criticized the proposal during the election campaign. After heavy opposition, Tory changed his position later in the campaign, promising a free vote on the issue.[5]

The Liberals and the NDP were both opposed to non-Catholic religious school funding, while the Green Party proposed eliminating the province's existing Catholic school funding in favour of a single public school board. Liberal opposition to non-Catholic religious school funding, especially private Muslim schools, appealed to Islamophobic sentiment in the province.[6][7]

There was a brief flurry of interest in health care issues when John Tory emphasized his support for an increasing role for the private sector in health care.

In the final week of the campaign, NDP leader Howard Hampton criticized the media for focusing almost entirely on religious schools and virtually ignoring other issues.

Redistribution

Thumb
Seat distribution and arrangement in the Ontario Legislative Assembly.

With the passing of Bill 214 and the Representation Act, 2005 in the year 2005, Ontario's electoral boundaries were no longer identical to the federal electoral boundaries.[8] The province was now divided into 11 northern electoral districts that were identical, except for a minor boundary adjustment, to the ones that existed on October 2, 2003, and 96 southern electoral districts that were identical to their federal counterparts as they existed on September 1, 2004.[8]

The 11 northern electoral districts were: Algoma—Manitoulin, Kenora—Rainy River, Nickel Belt, Nipissing, Parry Sound—Muskoka, Sault Ste. Marie, Sudbury, Thunder Bay—Atikokan, Thunder Bay—Superior North, Timiskaming—Cochrane, and Timmins—James Bay.[8]

As a result of the redistribution, none of the three major parties took fewer seats than it held at the dissolution of the previous legislature. The Liberals and the Progressive Conservatives each gained seats, while the New Democratic Party's seat total remained unchanged.

Contests

More information Candidates nominated, Ridings ...
Candidate contests in the ridings
Candidates nominatedRidingsParty
Lib PC NDP Green FCP Ind Ltn Free Comm Oth[a 1] Totals
4171717171700000068
538383838383322100190
63232323232321010444192
71212121212129762084
87777769541356
9111110210119
Totals1071071071071078332251588599
Close
  1. Minor political parties fielding fewer than eight candidates are aggregated together.

Results

More information Party, Party leader ...
Summary of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario election results
Party Party leader Candidates Seats Popular vote
2003 Dissol. 2007 Change # % Change
Liberal Dalton McGuinty 107 72 67 71 +6.0% 1,869,273 42.25% -4.22%
Progressive Conservative John Tory 107 24 25 26 +4.0% 1,398,806 31.62% -3.05%
New Democratic Howard Hampton 107 7 10 10 - 741,465 16.77% +2.08%
Green Frank de Jong 107 - - - - 354,897 8.02% +5.20%
Family Coalition Giuseppe Gori 83 - - - - 35,702 0.81% +0.01%
Libertarian Sam Apelbaum 25 - - - - 9,249 0.21% +0.17%
Freedom Paul McKeever 15 - - - - 3,003 0.07% -0.13%
Communist Elizabeth Rowley 8 - - - - 1,603 0.04% -0.01%
Special Needs Danish Ahmed 2 - - - - 502 0.01% -
Confederation of Regions Eileen Butson 2 - - - - 446 0.01% +0.00%
Reform Brad Harness 2 - - - - 354 0.01% -
Republican Trueman Tuck 2 - - - - 272 0.01% -
  Independents and no affiliation 32 - - - - 8,326 0.19% -0.11%
  Vacant 1  
Total 103 103 107 8,380,551 4,423,898 100% -
Close
More information Popular vote ...
Popular vote
Liberal
42.25%
PC
31.62%
New Democratic
16.77%
Green
8.02%
Others
1.34%
Close
More information Seats summary ...
Seats summary
Liberal
66.36%
PC
24.30%
New Democratic
9.35%
Close

Synopsis of results

More information Riding, Winning party ...
Results by riding - 2007 Ontario general election[a 1]
Riding Winning party Turnout
[a 2]
Votes[a 3]
2003 1st
place
Votes Share Margin
#
Margin
%
2nd
place
Lib PC NDP Green Ind Other Total
 
Ajax—Pickering New Lib 19,85749.07%5,95914.73% PC 49.34%19,85713,8983,2753,067-36840,465
Algoma—Manitoulin Lib Lib 11,36142.56%1,4985.61% NDP 54.49%11,3613,7449,8631,374-35426,696
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale Lib Lib 20,44541.16%3,3536.75% PC 58.12%20,44517,0926,8144,11222298549,670
Barrie PC Lib 19,54842.20%1,3812.98% PC 51.95%19,54818,1673,7004,38517934146,320
Beaches—East York NDP NDP 17,52244.32%7,30718.48% Lib 54.37%10,2156,16617,5224,785-85139,539
Bramalea—Gore—Malton Lib Lib 19,10647.00%7,17217.64% PC 43.65%19,10611,9345,0164,120-47140,647
Brampton—Springdale Lib Lib 17,67350.66%6,96519.97% PC 43.45%17,67310,7083,8002,292-41034,883
Brampton West Lib Lib 20,74646.19%5,62612.53% PC 43.92%20,74615,1204,9013,47118548844,911
Brant Lib Lib 23,48549.16%9,69820.30% PC 52.69%23,48513,7876,5363,27228940347,772
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound PC PC 21,15646.61%6,11713.48% Green 59.96%6,77421,1561,72115,039-69545,385
Burlington PC PC 21,57841.34%1,8543.55% Lib 58.91%19,72421,5785,7284,779-39152,200
Cambridge PC PC 17,94241.70%3,2387.52% Lib 49.69%14,70417,9425,8963,842-64643,030
Carleton—Mississippi Mills PC PC 25,12647.83%8,35015.89% Lib 55.30%16,77625,1264,0025,517-1,11252,533
Chatham-Kent—Essex Lib Lib 18,78251.98%8,41523.29% PC 48.81%18,78210,3674,6012,054-32636,130
Davenport Lib Lib 12,46741.82%1,5875.32% NDP 45.84%12,4672,80510,8803,04711450029,813
Don Valley East Lib Lib 19,66755.63%10,78930.52% PC 51.30%19,6678,8783,7592,28746729735,355
Don Valley West Lib Lib 23,08050.44%4,92410.76% PC 59.20%23,08018,1562,1382,202-18345,759
Dufferin—Caledon PC PC 16,52241.85%3,8849.84% Lib 52.50%12,63816,5223,8936,430--39,483
Durham PC PC 21,51546.96%6,78514.81% Lib 54.34%14,73021,5155,5214,053--45,819
Eglinton—Lawrence Lib Lib 17,40243.23%2,1455.33% PC 55.62%17,40215,2574,0392,8719059440,253
Elgin—Middlesex—London Lib Lib 20,08549.10%7,62518.64% PC 53.09%20,08512,4604,6433,363-35340,904
Essex Lib Lib 19,97048.02%9,57023.01% PC 48.69%19,97010,4008,6382,220-35841,586
Etobicoke Centre Lib Lib 22,93950.07%7,27215.87% PC 59.40%22,93915,6673,8473,357--45,810
Etobicoke—Lakeshore Lib Lib 20,21845.99%6,73615.32% PC 53.62%20,21813,4825,8373,46748047843,962
Etobicoke North Lib Lib 15,14754.85%9,34633.84% PC 45.19%15,1475,8014,1011,312-1,25527,616
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell Lib Lib 24,34560.51%13,41833.35% PC 52.80%24,34510,9272,2812,344-33740,234
Guelph Lib Lib 20,34640.92%8,16616.42% PC 57.03%20,34612,1806,8809,750-57149,727
Haldimand—Norfolk PC PC 26,13560.92%16,59938.69% Lib 56.25%9,53626,1354,5462,230-45742,904
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock PC PC 24,27349.99%9,94620.49% Lib 59.22%14,32724,2735,7853,475-69248,552
Halton PC PC 22,67741.84%1760.32% Lib 51.53%22,50122,6774,1604,376-48754,201
Hamilton Centre New NDP 17,17644.72%6,08015.83% Lib 48.63%11,0965,67317,1763,610-85238,407
Hamilton East—Stoney Creek Lib NDP 16,27237.65%1,2102.80% Lib 51.36%15,0629,31016,2722,122-45243,218
Hamilton Mountain Lib Lib 17,38737.24%1,7343.71% NDP 53.33%17,38710,98215,6532,172-49346,687
Huron—Bruce Lib Lib 20,46945.95%6,86315.41% PC 59.80%20,46913,6065,9322,9115951,03544,548
Kenora—Rainy River NDP NDP 14,28160.62%8,52936.20% Lib 46.16%5,7522,75714,281769--23,559
Kingston and the Islands Lib Lib 23,27747.23%12,27624.91% PC 53.96%23,27711,00110,1294,321-55649,284
Kitchener Centre Lib Lib 17,48445.90%7,76720.39% PC 49.58%17,4849,7176,7073,16242559938,094
Kitchener—Conestoga New Lib 16,31541.82%1,8654.78% PC 49.25%16,31514,4504,5452,805-90139,016
Kitchener—Waterloo PC PC 20,74840.84%4,9009.65% Lib 53.63%15,84820,7488,9024,707-59850,803
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex Lib Lib 18,22843.27%2,9336.96% PC 55.18%18,22815,2954,5203,329-75842,130
Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington New PC 18,21340.58%8201.83% Lib 52.08%17,39318,2135,6233,186-46244,877
Leeds—Grenville PC PC 22,75556.24%11,15327.56% Lib 55.11%11,60222,7552,8212,907-37740,462
London—Fanshawe Lib Lib 13,74238.68%3,98211.21% PC 48.21%13,7429,7609,3502,548129-35,529
London North Centre Lib Lib 21,66947.17%10,77223.45% PC 50.00%21,66910,8977,6495,720--45,935
London West Lib Lib 25,96752.42%13,95628.18% PC 57.83%25,96712,0115,5625,18420160749,532
Markham—Unionville Lib Lib 21,14959.47%11,57532.55% PC 40.51%21,1499,5742,5971,910-33535,565
Mississauga—Brampton South New Lib 19,73853.78%10,40528.35% PC 42.46%19,7389,3333,7853,846-036,702
Mississauga East—Cooksville Lib Lib 22,24958.93%13,53435.85% PC 47.48%22,2498,7153,1922,361-1,23537,752
Mississauga—Erindale Lib Lib 21,55147.85%6,63814.74% PC 47.08%21,55114,9135,0563,521--45,041
Mississauga South Lib Lib 19,19546.68%5,00812.18% PC 54.08%19,19514,1873,7453,629-36541,121
Mississauga—Streetsville Lib Lib 20,26452.55%9,10923.62% PC 45.63%20,26411,1553,9442,925-27438,562
Nepean—Carleton PC PC 27,07050.28%9,33917.35% Lib 54.61%17,73127,0704,0004,500-53353,834
Newmarket—Aurora PC PC 19,46042.72%1,3552.97% Lib 55.21%18,10519,4603,2904,182-51845,555
Niagara Falls Lib Lib 22,21047.53%7,67016.41% PC 51.08%22,21014,5404,6055,373--46,728
Niagara West—Glanbrook PC PC 24,31151.06%10,02121.05% Lib 58.57%14,29024,3115,8093,206--47,616
Nickel Belt NDP NDP 15,12646.59%2,7628.51% Lib 53.56%12,3643,26315,1261,374-34132,468
Nipissing Lib Lib 13,78142.11%4581.40% PC 56.79%13,78113,3234,1361,248-23832,726
Northumberland—Quinte West Lib Lib 22,28745.37%6,95714.16% PC 54.92%22,28715,3306,4925,012--49,121
Oak Ridges—Markham New Lib 28,56448.22%7,19712.15% PC 47.77%28,56421,3674,6983,81534245559,241
Oakville Lib Lib 23,76149.81%7,10214.89% PC 58.26%23,76116,6593,0913,916-27947,706
Oshawa PC PC 15,97739.02%2,4956.09% NDP 48.94%8,76215,97713,4822,474-25340,948
Ottawa Centre Lib Lib 18,25534.91%2,0944.00% NDP 58.25%18,25510,41616,1616,45828372052,293
Ottawa—Orléans Lib Lib 25,64952.86%8,95418.45% PC 57.86%25,64916,6953,0882,214-87548,521
Ottawa South Lib Lib 24,01550.13%9,80920.48% PC 56.60%24,01514,2064,4673,902-1,31147,901
Ottawa—Vanier Lib Lib 20,95450.96%11,78528.66% PC 51.49%20,9549,1696,0494,29325539641,116
Ottawa West—Nepean Lib Lib 23,84250.64%8,87118.84% PC 57.51%23,84214,9714,5642,90320759247,079
Oxford PC PC 18,44547.27%6,99017.91% Lib 53.72%11,45518,4454,4213,44165960139,022
Parkdale—High Park Lib NDP 18,19444.71%6,29415.47% Lib 57.43%11,9006,02418,1943,938-63840,694
Parry Sound—Muskoka PC PC 17,34847.22%7,52920.49% Lib 56.76%9,81917,3485,0154,557--36,739
Perth—Wellington Lib Lib 18,09646.65%5,75814.84% PC 54.62%18,09612,3383,9123,0512171,17538,789
Peterborough Lib Lib 24,46647.72%11,29022.02% PC 57.47%24,46613,1768,5234,473-63451,272
Pickering—Scarborough East Lib Lib 19,76248.63%6,87816.92% PC 54.01%19,76212,8844,5632,57227558540,641
Prince Edward—Hastings New Lib 20,96346.36%6,12313.54% PC 54.16%20,96314,8406,2872,663-46345,216
Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke PC PC 24,97562.34%15,07037.62% Lib 57.55%9,90524,9753,0381,777-36840,063
Richmond Hill New Lib 19,45647.83%5,32913.10% PC 47.23%19,45614,1273,5653,210-31840,676
St. Catharines Lib Lib 21,02947.23%8,16518.34% PC 53.83%21,02912,8647,0693,152-40644,520
St. Paul's Lib Lib 21,28047.43%9,37020.88% PC 55.99%21,28011,9107,0613,74432854544,868
Sarnia—Lambton Lib PC 16,14538.16%3,7028.75% Lib 55.20%12,44316,14511,3492,376--42,313
Sault Ste. Marie Lib Lib 19,31660.13%10,84133.75% NDP 55.56%19,3162,3498,4751,377-60532,122
Scarborough—Agincourt Lib Lib 19,54158.08%11,01032.72% PC 46.01%19,5418,5313,5311,511-53233,646
Scarborough Centre Lib Lib 17,77553.66%9,45528.55% PC 48.06%17,7758,3204,4011,827-80033,123
Scarborough—Guildwood Lib Lib 14,43042.52%4,92714.52% PC 51.28%14,4309,5037,4411,811-75133,936
Scarborough—Rouge River Lib Lib 22,30765.06%17,34750.59% PC 41.82%22,3074,9604,6911,276-1,05534,289
Scarborough Southwest Lib Lib 15,11446.15%6,75520.63% PC 49.70%15,1148,3595,9302,649-69532,747
Simcoe—Grey PC PC 24,27050.65%11,82324.67% Lib 54.86%12,44724,2704,4175,4282731,08547,920
Simcoe North PC PC 22,98649.82%8,89219.27% Lib 54.06%14,09422,9864,2404,709-11246,141
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry Lib Lib 18,66048.86%3,86610.12% PC 51.81%18,66014,7942,8131,680-24738,194
Sudbury Lib Lib 19,30758.77%10,39331.64% NDP 51.11%19,3072,6058,9141,60812429332,851
Thornhill Lib PC 22,24445.92%1,7253.56% Lib 52.17%20,51922,2442,6572,50715835648,441
Thunder Bay—Atikokan Lib Lib 10,92837.69%500.17% NDP 52.36%10,9285,91810,8781,270--28,994
Thunder Bay—Superior North Lib Lib 13,37346.78%2,4358.52% NDP 53.91%13,3732,68810,9381,586--28,585
Timiskaming—Cochrane Lib Lib 11,58842.90%6342.35% NDP 54.80%11,5883,65910,954811--27,012
Timmins—James Bay NDP NDP 13,17651.60%3,44713.50% Lib 53.76%9,7292,19113,176437--25,533
Toronto Centre Lib Lib 21,52247.85%12,43827.65% PC 49.90%21,5229,0848,4644,4123581,14144,981
Toronto—Danforth NDP NDP 17,97545.85%6,52716.65% Lib 53.18%11,4484,42317,9754,372-98639,204
Trinity—Spadina NDP NDP 18,50841.15%4,3289.62% Lib 49.63%14,1806,23518,5085,15650439044,973
Vaughan Lib Lib 28,96461.90%20,20543.18% PC 46.31%28,9648,7595,4702,975623-46,791
Welland NDP NDP 24,91053.94%14,33031.03% Lib 55.29%10,5808,72224,9101,973--46,185
Wellington—Halton Hills PC PC 21,53349.16%8,22118.77% Lib 57.49%13,31221,5333,9144,489-55543,803
Whitby—Oshawa PC PC 22,69444.00%4,1348.02% Lib 53.54%18,56022,6945,7343,745-83951,572
Willowdale Lib Lib 21,16647.73%5,60812.65% PC 49.51%21,16615,5583,6992,96011984744,349
Windsor—Tecumseh Lib Lib 17,89449.34%9,05824.98% NDP 44.04%17,8946,1068,8362,696-73536,267
Windsor West Lib Lib 16,82150.19%8,21724.52% NDP 41.02%16,8215,6528,6041,974-46333,514
York Centre Lib Lib 16,64648.73%5,61816.45% PC 49.07%16,64611,0283,7132,207-56834,162
York—Simcoe PC PC 19,17346.23%6,38815.40% Lib 49.73%12,78519,1734,2054,664-64541,472
York South—Weston Lib Lib 13,84642.94%4521.40% NDP 46.34%13,8463,17313,3941,226-60332,242
York West Lib Lib 13,24654.74%6,48226.79% NDP 44.44%13,2462,4846,7641,19922528224,200
Close
  = new riding
  = merged riding
  = open seat
  = turnout is above provincial average
  = incumbent re-elected
  = incumbent changed allegiance
  = other incumbents renominated
  1. "2007 Ontario General Election". elections.on.ca. Elections Ontario. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  2. including spoilt ballots
  3. minor political parties receiving less than 1% of the popular vote are aggregated under "Other"; independent candidates are aggregated separately

Comparative analysis for ridings (2007 vs 2003)

More information Riding and winning party, Turnout ...
Summary of riding results by turnout and vote share for winning candidate (vs 2003)[a 1]
Riding and winning party Turnout Vote share
 % Change (pp)  % Change (pp)
 
Ajax—Pickering  Lib Hold 49.34-10.29
 
49.073.313.31
 
Algoma—Manitoulin  Lib Hold 54.49-3.34
 
42.56-6.12
 
Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale  Lib Hold 58.122.842.84
 
41.161.201.2
 
Barrie  Lib Gain 51.95-4.07
 
42.206.076.07
 
Beaches—East York  NDP Hold 54.37-1.26
 
44.32-6.91
 
Bramalea—Gore—Malton  Lib Hold 43.65-6.16
 
47.001.401.4
 
Brampton—Springdale  Lib Hold 43.45-6.80
 
50.667.197.19
 
Brampton West  Lib Hold 43.92-6.91
 
46.190.020.02
 
Brant  Lib Hold 52.69-3.45
 
49.16-5.39
 
Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound  PC Hold 59.96-2.94
 
46.61-5.46
 
Burlington  PC Hold 58.91-2.60
 
41.34-4.81
 
Cambridge  PC Hold 49.69--4.10
 
41.70-0.80
 
Carleton—Mississippi Mills  PC Hold 55.30-6.12
 
47.83-1.16
 
Chatham—Kent—Essex  Lib Hold 48.81-6.83
 
51.98-7.27
 
Davenport  Lib Hold 45.84-3.22
 
41.82-16.99
 
Don Valley East  Lib Hold 51.30-4.02
 
55.63-1.17
 
Don Valley West  Lib Hold 59.20-0.65
 
50.44-2.15
 
Dufferin—Caledon  PC Hold 52.50-6.00
 
41.85-14.79
 
Durham  PC Hold 54.34-4.06
 
46.96-0.14
 
Eglinton—Lawrence  Lib Hold 55.62-2.27
 
43.23-13.66
 
Elgin—Middlesex—London  Lib Hold 53.09-7.23
 
49.10-8.21
 
Essex  Lib Hold 48.69-4.68
 
48.022.742.74
 
Etobicoke Centre  Lib Hold 59.40-3.09
 
50.070.660.66
 
Etobicoke—Lakeshore  Lib Hold 53.62-5.90
 
45.991.831.83
 
Etobicoke North  Lib Hold 45.19-2.72
 
54.850.870.87
 
Glengarry—Prescott—Russell  Lib Hold 52.80-4.81
 
60.51-5.46
 
Guelph  Lib Hold 57.03-3.05
 
40.92-1.30
 
Haldimand—Norfolk  PC Hold 56.25-3.13
 
60.9214.8114.81
 
Haliburton—Kawartha Lakes—Brock  PC Hold 59.22-3.95
 
49.992.582.58
 
Halton  PC Hold 51.53-8.20
 
41.84-6.36
 
Hamilton Centre  NDP New 48.63New44.72New
Hamilton East—Stoney Creek  NDP Gain 51.364.634.63
 
37.658.238.23
 
Hamilton Mountain  Lib Hold 53.33-5.63
 
37.24-14.55
 
Huron—Bruce  Lib Hold 59.80-6.66
 
45.950.150.15
 
Kenora—Rainy River  NDP Hold 46.16-2.41
 
60.620.500.5
 
Kingston and the Islands  Lib Hold 53.96-0.33
 
47.23-13.05
 
Kitchener Centre  Lib Hold 49.58-3.66
 
45.903.303.3
 
Kitchener—Conestoga  Lib New 49.25New41.82New
Kitchener—Waterloo  PC Hold 53.63-5.44
 
40.84-2.24
 
Lambton—Kent—Middlesex  Lib Hold 55.18-4.57
 
43.27-1.85
 
Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington  PC Gain 52.08-6.60
 
40.587.577.57
 
Leeds—Grenville  PC Hold 55.11-7.00
 
56.247.537.53
 
London—Fanshawe  Lib Hold 48.21-4.24
 
38.682.812.81
 
London North Centre  Lib Hold 50.00-6.44
 
47.173.743.74
 
London West  Lib Hold 57.83-2.19
 
52.420.970.97
 
Markham—Unionville  Lib New 40.51New59.47New
Mississauga—Brampton South  Lib New 42.46New53.78New
Mississauga East—Cooksville  Lib New 47.48New58.93New
Mississauga—Erindale  Lib New 47.08New47.85New
Mississauga South  Lib Hold 54.08-2.81
 
46.682.882.88
 
Mississauga—Streetsville  Lib New 45.63New52.55New
Nepean—Carleton  PC Hold 54.61-7.61
 
50.28-3.78
 
Newmarket—Aurora  PC New 55.21New42.72New
Niagara Falls  Lib Hold 51.08-6.32
 
47.530.670.67
 
Niagara West—Glanbrook  PC Hold 58.57-2.28
 
51.062.572.57
 
Nickel Belt  NDP Hold 53.56-8.26
 
46.590.060.06
 
Nipissing  Lib Hold 56.79-5.81
 
42.11-7.73
 
Northumberland—Quinte West  Lib Hold 54.92-5.39
 
45.370.330.33
 
Oak Ridges—Markham  Lib New 47.77New48.22New
Oakville  Lib Hold 58.26-4.05
 
49.810.00
Oshawa  PC Hold 48.94-2.53
 
39.021.701.7
 
Ottawa Centre  Lib Hold 58.252.622.62
 
34.91-10.19
 
Ottawa—Orléans  Lib Hold 57.86-5.53
 
52.862.512.51
 
Ottawa South  Lib Hold 56.60-2.17
 
50.13-1.57
 
Ottawa—Vanier  Lib Hold 51.490.690.69
 
50.96-2.57
 
Ottawa West—Nepean  Lib Hold 57.51-4.62
 
50.643.603.6
 
Oxford  PC Hold 53.72-6.50
 
47.273.213.21
 
Parkdale—High Park  NDP Gain 57.432.502.5
 
44.7128.9428.94
 
Parry Sound—Muskoka  PC Hold 56.76-3.27
 
47.22-1.29
 
Perth—Wellington  Lib Hold 54.62-5.07
 
46.653.943.94
 
Peterborough  Lib Hold 57.47-5.29
 
47.722.972.97
 
Pickering—Scarborough East  Lib New 54.01New48.63New
Prince Edward—Hastings  Lib Hold 54.16-3.04
 
46.36-11.02
 
Renfrew—Nipissing—Pembroke  PC Hold 57.55-6.42
 
62.3418.2018.2
 
Richmond Hill  Lib New 47.23New47.83New
St. Catharines  Lib Hold 53.83-2.60
 
47.23-10.21
 
St. Paul’s  Lib Hold 55.99-2.04
 
47.43-7.33
 
Sarnia—Lambton  PC Gain 55.20-4.14
 
38.167.167.16
 
Sault Ste. Marie  Lib Hold 55.56-5.54
 
60.133.093.09
 
Scarborough—Agincourt  Lib Hold 46.01-6.87
 
58.08-3.02
 
Scarborough Centre  Lib Hold 48.06-8.54
 
53.661.601.6
 
Scarborough—Guildwood  Lib New 51.28New42.52New
Scarborough—Rouge River  Lib Hold 41.82-6.27
 
65.061.211.21
 
Scarborough Southwest  Lib Hold 49.70-5.18
 
46.15-0.78
 
Simcoe—Grey  PC Hold 54.86-5.43
 
50.65-0.82
 
Simcoe North  PC Hold 54.06-6.79
 
49.823.693.69
 
Stormont—Dundas—South Glengarry  Lib Hold 51.81-3.97
 
48.86-2.33
 
Sudbury  Lib Hold 51.11-4.84
 
58.77-10.21
 
Thornhill  PC Gain 52.17-5.61
 
45.920.760.76
 
Thunder Bay—Atikokan  Lib Hold 52.36-3.24
 
37.69-20.56
 
Thunder Bay—Superior North  Lib Hold 53.91-1.70
 
46.78-25.67
 
Timiskaming—Cochrane  Lib Hold 54.80-6.35
 
42.90-16.66
 
Timmins—James Bay  NDP Hold 53.76-3.54
 
51.601.901.9
 
Toronto Centre  Lib Hold 49.90-3.22
 
47.85-4.93
 
Toronto—Danforth  NDP Hold 53.18-2.69
 
45.85-1.29
 
Trinity—Spadina  NDP Hold 49.63-2.41
 
41.15-6.36
 
Vaughan  Lib New 46.31New61.90New
Welland  NDP Hold 55.29-4.96
 
53.944.304.3
 
Wellington—Halton Hills  PC Hold 57.492.212.21
 
49.160.180.18
 
Whitby—Oshawa  PC Hold 53.54-6.86
 
44.00-4.33
 
Willowdale  Lib Hold 49.51-6.23
 
47.730.760.76
 
Windsor—Tecumseh  Lib Hold 44.04-3.77
 
49.34-5.58
 
Windsor West  Lib Hold 41.02-2.85
 
50.19-12.32
 
York Centre  Lib Hold 49.07-0.52
 
48.73-10.68
 
York—Simcoe  PC Hold 49.73-8.60
 
46.23-0.96
 
York South—Weston  Lib Hold 46.34-4.41
 
42.94-18.62
 
York West  Lib Hold 44.440.490.49
 
54.74-14.58
 
Close
  1. Summarized from "Data Explorer". Elections Ontario. Retrieved December 15, 2022.

Maps

Principal races

More information Party in 1st place, Party in 2nd place ...
Party candidates in 2nd place
Party in 1st placeParty in 2nd placeTotal
Lib PC NDP Grn
Liberal 581371
Progressive Conservative 241126
New Democratic 1010
Total 3458141107
Close
More information Parties, Seats ...
Principal races, according to 1st and 2nd-place results
PartiesSeats
 Liberal  Progressive Conservative 82
 Liberal  New Democratic 23
 Progressive Conservative  New Democratic 1
 Progressive Conservative  Green 1
Total 107
Close
More information Parties, 1st ...
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party
Parties1st2nd3rd4th5thTotal
 Liberal 71342107
 Progressive Conservative 2658221107
 New Democratic 10146518107
 Green 11888107
 Family Coalition 6363
 Libertarian 1616
 Independent 88
 Freedom 22
 Communist 1
Close
More information Source, Party ...
Resulting composition of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario
SourceParty
Lib PC NDP Total
Incumbents returned6022890
Open seats held3115
Ouster of incumbent changing allegiance11
New seats gained516
Incumbents defeated224
Open seats gained11
Total712610107
Close

Incumbent MPPs who did not run for re-election

More information Electoral district, Incumbent at dissolution ...
Electoral district Incumbent at dissolution Subsequent nominee New MPP
Hamilton Mountain   Marie Bountrogianni Sophia Aggelonitis   Sophia Aggelonitis
Scarborough East   Mary Anne Chambers riding dissolved
Hamilton West   Judy Marsales riding dissolved
Nickel Belt   Shelley Martel France Gélinas   France Gélinas
Stoney Creek   Jennifer Mossop Riding dissolved
Prince Edward—Hastings   Ernie Parsons Leona Dombrowsky   Leona Dombrowsky
Ottawa Centre   Richard Patten Yasir Naqvi   Yasir Naqvi
Close

Opinion polls

Summarize
Perspective

Since the 2003 general election, several polls were conducted to determine the ongoing preference of voters. They showed a decline in Liberal support following the 2004 Ontario budget. Overall, support for the governing Liberals declined slightly since the 2003 election, the NDP gained some ground since the 2003 election, and the PCs' poll numbers did not change significantly since 2003. Support for the Green Party increased significantly, a shift which paralleled the increase in support for the party's federal counterpart. During the pre-election period, the Ontario Greens did not appear as an option in some of the polls.

Polls indicate results for decided voters. More information can be found in the footnotes to each poll, including undecided results, if provided by the pollster. A dash indicates the absence of a prompt for that party.

More information Polling firm, Date released ...
Polling firm Date released Date poll conducted Liberal Progressive Conservative New Democrats Green
Harris-Decima October 9, 2007[9] October 6 – 7, 2007 42311710
SES ResearchOctober 9, 2007[10]October 6 – 7, 20074331189
EnvironicsOctober 9, 2007[11]September 28 – October 2, 20074631203
Strategic CounselOctober 8, 2007[12]October 6 – 7, 200742271911
Ipsos-ReidOctober 6, 2007[13]October 2 – 4, 20074332186
Angus Reid StrategiesOctober 5, 2007[14]October 4 – 5, 20074034197
Decima ResearchOctober 2, 2007[15]September 27 – October 1, 200743321410
SES ResearchOctober 2, 2007[16]September 28 – 30, 20074434157
Ipsos-ReidSeptember 29, 2007[17]September 25 – 27, 20074333176
EnvironicsSeptember 28, 2007[18]September 21 – 25, 20073934207
Decima ResearchSeptember 26, 2007[19]September 24 – 25, 200741321610
Angus Reid StrategiesSeptember 25, 2007[20]September 24 – 25, 20074035168
SES ResearchSeptember 25, 2007[21]September 21 – 23, 20074133188
Ipsos-ReidSeptember 20, 2007[22]September 11 – 18, 20074037166
Decima ResearchSeptember 19, 2007[23]September 13 – 17, 200741321412
Strategic CounselSeptember 18, 2007[24]September 13 – 16, 200740341610
Ipsos-ReidSeptember 15, 2007[25]September 4 – 13, 20074037166
EnvironicsSeptember 13, 2007[26]September 6 – 9, 2007393517-
Angus Reid StrategiesSeptember 13, 2007[27]September 7 – 8, 200739371310
Decima ResearchSeptember 12, 2007[28]September 5 – 8, 200741331311
Ipsos-ReidSeptember 10, 2007[29]August 30 – September 8, 20074136176
SES ResearchAugust 30, 2007[30]August 24 – 26, 20074034198
Ipsos-ReidAugust 28, 2007[31]August 14 – 23, 20074235166
Ipsos-ReidAugust 21, 2007[32]August 7 – 16, 20074037176
The Strategic CounselAugust 20, 2007[33]August 9 – 14, 20074035188
Ipsos-ReidJuly 3, 2007[34]June 19 – 28, 20073936177
EnvironicsJuly 2, 2007[35]June 5 – 30, 2007403920-
PollaraJune 16, 2007[36]June 7–10, 2007373719-
SES ResearchJune 3, 2007[37]May 11–15, 200735351911
EnvironicsMay 18, 2007[38]March 13–April 3, 2007333826
Ipsos-ReidFebruary 24, 2007[39]-3833179
EnvironicsJanuary 5, 2007[40]December 8–30, 2006393721-
SES ResearchDecember 17, 2006[41]November 25–27, 20064235167
EnvironicsOctober 26, 2006[42]September 18 – October 12, 2006423323-
EKOSOctober 18, 2006[43]October 10–12, 200642.436.219.6
SES ResearchOctober 7, 2006[44]September 30 – October 3, 20063529187
EnvironicsSeptember 9, 2006[45]June 2–24, 2006353627-
Vector ResearchMay 14, 2006-3938185
EnvironicsApril 13, 2006-343924-
SES ResearchMarch 23, 2006-4134205
Léger MarketingMarch 22, 2006-343420-
SES ResearchFebruary 17, 2006-4137184
Vector ResearchJanuary 21, 2006-3635236
EnvironicsOctober 16, 2005-423521-
Vector ResearchSeptember 19, 2005-3341206
SES ResearchJune 14, 2005-4135214
Léger MarketingJune 8, 2005-423417-
Léger MarketingApril 29, 2005-363719-
Vector ResearchApril 13, 2005-3541185
EnvironicsApril 11, 2005-354121-
Léger MarketingMarch 17, 2005-443319-
Vector ResearchDecember 16, 2004-3932245
EnvironicsDecember 2004-373923-
EnvironicsDecember 11, 2004-354023-
Léger MarketingSeptember 2004-373519-
Vector ResearchAugust 22, 2004-3732239
EnvironicsAugust 9, 2004-3537234
Ipsos-ReidJune 14, 2004-3239236
SES ResearchJune 5, 2004-344120-
Decima ResearchMay 27, 2004-322921-
EnvironicsMay 6, 2004-4533201
Ipsos-ReidApril 19, 2004-4530195
SES ResearchJanuary 23, 2004-492910-
EnvironicsJanuary 21, 2004-5030163
Ipsos-ReidDecember 14, 2003-5127166
Ipsos-ReidNovember 8, 2003-5627125
EnvironicsOctober 30, 2003-4929182
Last election (October 2, 2003)-46.434.614.72.8
Close

Riding specific polls

More information Riding, Polling firm ...
Riding Polling firm Date released Date poll conducted Liberal Progressive Conservative New Democrats Green
Don Valley WestCOMPASOctober 1, 2007[46]September 25 – 29, 2007523756
Bruce—Grey—Owen SoundOraclepoll ResearchOctober 4, 2007[47]October 2 – 3, 200721371327
Nickel BeltOraclepoll ResearchOctober 4, 2007[48]October 2 – 3, 2007417493
Close

Timeline

Thumb
Election signs for the major parties plus a sign supporting the MMP side in the referendum in the constituency of Ottawa South. Ontario premier Dalton McGuinty is the Liberal candidate there.
  • September 18, 2006 - Joe Cordiano, MPP for York South—Weston, resigns from cabinet and legislature to spend more time with family.[53]
  • September 25, 2006 - Tony Wong, MPP for Markham, resigns from the legislature to run for York Region council in Markham, Ontario.[54]
  • September 28, 2006 - Cam Jackson, MPP for Burlington, resigns from the Legislature to run for mayor of Burlington.[55]
  • January 10, 2007 - By-elections called in the ridings of: Burlington; Markham; and York South—Weston to be held on February 8, 2007.
  • February 7, 2007 - The provincial government announces election date will be October 10, 2007 to avoid conflict with Shemini Atzeret on October 4.[2]
  • February 8, 2007 - In three by-elections, Paul Ferreira[56] of the NDP wins York South–Weston from the Liberals while Michael Chan[57] of the Liberals and Joyce Savoline[58] of the PCs hold Markham and Burlington, respectively.
  • March 29, 2007 - MPP Tim Peterson leaves the Liberal caucus and intends to run in this election as a Progressive Conservative.[59]
  • April 25, 2007 - Democratic Renewal Minister Marie Bountrogianni introduces Bill 218, a bill to have longer voting hours – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. – that identification be presented, advanced polls increased to 13 days from 6 days, and amendments regarding the referendum on election formulas for electing MPPS. The proposed legislation will also deal with suggestions for online voting and with complaints that the permanent voters' list is unreliable because it does not keep up with moves and deaths.[60]
  • May 18, 2007 - New Democratic Party MPP Shelley Martel announced she will not seek re-election in her Nickel Belt riding. She is leaving politics for family reasons, and to pursue other career opportunities.[61]
  • May 18, 2007 - A poll released by Environics showed the governing Liberals in second place for the first time since March 2006. According to the poll, the Progressive Conservatives lead with 39% followed by the Liberals with 33%, the NDP with 26% and the Greens with 2%. The poll was conducted between March 13 to April 3, 2007.[38]
  • June 3, 2007 - A poll released by SES Research showed that the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives are in a dead-heat, with 29.8% of voters supporting each party. The NDP had 16% and the Green Party had 9%. 15% were undecided.[37]
  • June 4, 2007 Today, Bill 218 is given third reading and royal assent. The bill amends the Elections Act with the following changes: making electors present proper identification; methods of updating the permanent register of electors and creating an electronic system to allow electors to change their personal information online; alternative forms of voting and electronic vote counting can now take place; scrutineers from outside an electoral district, now have the same privileges as a resident scrutineer; Ballots will now show party affiliation and any nickname or familiar name of that the candidate requests; the Chief Electoral Officer is allowed to advertise information regarding the October 2007 Referendum on electoral reform.[62]
  • June 5, 2007 - Liberal Premier Dalton McGuinty prorogues the Legislature, stating that the passing of 14 bills during the session meant that the government's agenda had been fulfilled.[63] The adjournment was three weeks earlier than expected and several private members' bills failed to receive third reading, including a bill to make it mandatory to fill out organ transplant cards.[64] The legislature will not sit again until sometime after the October 10th election.[63]
  • July 11, 2007 - Citing health concerns Mary Anne Chambers, the Children and Youth Services Minister and MPP for Scarborough East, will not be seeking re-election in the October 10 Ontario vote. She would have run in the Scarborough—Guildwood electoral district.[65]
  • July 26, 2007 - Ontario Minister of Citizenship and Immigration Mike Colle resigned after an auditor general's report severely criticizes how $32 million in year-end grants to ethnic groups was administered.[66]
  • September 10, 2007 - Official election call. Writ issued as per omnibus Budget Act, Bill 187, that includes the amendment to the Election Act to set writ issuance date. Premier McGuinty formally asked the Lt. Governor to dissolve the legislature. The campaign will be 29 days long, one day longer than the minimum.[67]
Thumb
Lawn signs for local candidates in Hamilton Mountain
  • September 18, 2007- Nomination papers due. A candidate or their designate must submit their nomination papers and deposit in person at the returning office by 2 p.m.[68]
  • September 20, 2007- Televised leadership debate between McGuinty, Tory and Hampton.
  • September 22 – October 4, 2007 - Advance polling stations open for early voting from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m.[62]
  • October 10, 2007 - Ontario general election from 9:00 a.m. until 9:00 p.m. EDT or in the most western part of the province 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. CDT as per Provision 20, Section 40(1) and 40(2) of the Election Act.[62]

Election results

Summarize
Perspective

At 9:23 pm EDT, Citytv projected a Liberal majority government. CTV News made the same call at 9:30 pm EDT, followed by CBC News at 9:37 pm EDT, and Canadian Press at 9:52 pm EDT.

Also at 10:30 pm EDT, CBC and CTV reported that Progressive Conservative leader John Tory had called Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty to concede the election. At 10:39 pm EDT, Tory was declared defeated by Canadian Press in the riding of Don Valley West.

At 10:43 pm EDT, Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty took the stage to give his speech to the public, breaking tradition of the defeated party leaders going first.

Each party lost at least one incumbent MPP — Liberals Mario Racco and Caroline Di Cocco, PCs Joe Tascona, Tim Peterson and John Tory and NDP Paul Ferreira were all defeated. However, each party's losses were offset by gains in other seats. The actual changes in party standings were accounted for entirely by the four new seats resulting from redistribution and the defeat of Peterson. Overall, however, most incumbent MPPs were returned in their ridings.

McGuinty became the first Liberal leader in Ontario to win two successive majorities in the legislature since Mitchell Hepburn in the 1937 election.

Breakdown by region

Summarize
Perspective

Northern Ontario

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

All eleven ridings in Northern Ontario were retained by their incumbent parties. The popular vote, however, shifted dramatically, with several Liberal incumbents holding on only very narrowly against NDP challengers. Most notably, Bill Mauro retained Thunder Bay—Atikokan by a margin of just 36 votes against John Rafferty, whom Mauro had defeated in 2003 by a margin of over 11,000 — Rafferty, in fact, spent much of the night leading Mauro. A judicial recount on October 31 increased Mauro's margin of victory to 50 votes. David Ramsay, similarly, trailed New Democrat John Vanthof in Timiskaming—Cochrane for much of the night, pulling ahead to a winning margin of 634 votes only in the final few polls to report. This was the narrowest margin of victory in Ramsay's 22-year career. Michael Gravelle also retained Thunder Bay—Superior North by an uncharacteristically narrow margin over Jim Foulds.

As well, Monique Smith retained Nipissing by just 377 votes over Progressive Conservative candidate Bill Vrebosch — in 2003, she had defeated Progressive Conservative incumbent Al McDonald by a wider margin of over 3,000 votes.

In keeping with this trend, New Democrat incumbents Howard Hampton and Gilles Bisson widened their margins of victory over Liberal challengers compared to 2003, and France Gélinas maintained the same margin that her predecessor, Shelley Martel, had attained in the previous election.

Notably, the rise in popular support for the New Democrats in Northern Ontario carried over into the 2008 federal election, in which the NDP won nearly every seat in the region for the first time in its history.

Eastern Ontario

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

In Eastern Ontario, the new riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington was carried by PC candidate Randy Hillier, while all 13 existing ridings were carried by their incumbent parties. With the exception of Yasir Naqvi, who carried Ottawa Centre by a much smaller margin over the NDP than Richard Patten had attained in 2003, Liberals in Ottawa improved their winning margins, although outside of Ottawa the popular vote trend remained relatively stable.

Central Ontario

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

The most conservative-friendly area of the province, the PC vote largely held up, with the only Liberal gain being Aileen Carroll winning Barrie, the seat she used to represent federally. This was countered by a PC nominal gain in Newmarket—Aurora. The area also delivered the strongest support in the province for the Green Party, with Shane Jolley finishing a very strong second in Bruce—Grey—Owen Sound with 33.1% of the vote, the best finish ever received by any Green candidate in Canada to that point. The Greens also knocked the NDP into fourth place in a majority of area ridings.

Midwestern Ontario

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

A politically mixed region, Midwestern Ontario had every incumbent party re-elected, as well as some anomalous results; in an election where the PCs were largely held to rural areas, and the Liberals consolidated an urban/suburban base, Elizabeth Witmer held onto the riding of Kitchener—Waterloo for the PCs, while the Liberals won in rural ridings in which they were the incumbent party, such as Huron—Bruce and Perth—Wellington. Further away from the provincewide result, on an election night which demonstrated Liberal strength province wide, Haldimand—Norfolk—Brant delivered the most crushing defeat for a Liberal candidate in the province, with the victorious PC incumbent Toby Barrett coming out 16,571 votes and 38.6% ahead of the Liberal.

Brampton, Mississauga & Oakville

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

Although the suburban Western GTA had traditionally been a good area for the PCs, winning many seats in the area as recently as the Harris days, where it formed part of the 905-area backbone of the PC government, the Liberals won every seat in the area handily, with the victorious Liberal candidates averaging at around 50%. Even Mississauga South, which prior to the 2003 election had not voted Liberal provincially since the riding's creation, and had been expected to be a very tight race, proved a surprisingly easy victory for Charles Sousa, who gained the seat back for the Liberals from Tim Peterson, who had crossed the floor. The NDP continued to be a non-factor in the area, while the Greens growth in popular vote across the province was reflected, with the Greens even beating the NDP into fourth place in Oakville, which ironically had been the only riding in the province the Greens had not run in the previous election.

Southern Durham and York

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

The Liberals continued to dominate York Region, with each incumbent being re-elected by a comfortable margin except in Thornhill where Mario Racco lost to PC candidate Peter Shurman. The newly created riding of Ajax—Pickering, projected to be a close race, elected Liberal Joe Dickson by over 6,000 votes despite having no party nominate incumbents. In southern Durham Region, Liberal Wayne Arthurs was re-elected to the newly distributed Pickering—Scarborough East, while Progressive Conservative Christine Elliott was re-elected to Whitby—Oshawa. Despite high expectations for Sid Ryan's fourth run as an NDP candidate in Oshawa, PC incumbent Jerry Ouellette was again re-elected by a wider majority than in 2003.

Hamilton, Burlington & Niagara

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

An area with several close seats, and a fairly even distribution of seats, every party had a realistic chance of increasing its seat count here. Hamilton East—Stoney Creek, which was a merger of a Liberal held riding and an NDP held riding, and had neither incumbent running, was the most interesting match of the night, with the NDP winning a close race. It proved to be the only change of the election, and every other riding returned the incumbent party, although many in close races, such as Hamilton Mountain (Liberals over NDP), Halton, (PCs over Liberals) and Burlington (PCs over Liberals).

Southwestern Ontario

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

In an area with a strong rural-urban divide, both the NDP and PCs had strong hopes of making gains against the Liberals. The NDP had strong hopes of upsetting high-profile Liberals in both Windsor West, and Windsor—Tecumseh, given the NDP's ownership of those seats federally, and the continued decline of the local industrial economy. London—Fanshawe was similarly also a top target, as the NDP had the riding federally and finished a close second in 2003. Overall, however, the only area seat that changed hands was Sarnia—Lambton, with Culture Minister Caroline Di Cocco, the most high-profile Liberal casualty of the night, losing to PC challenger Bob Bailey.

Toronto

More information Liberal, Progressive Conservative ...
Close

All ridings in Toronto were retained by their incumbent parties, with the exception of York South—Weston. New Democrat Paul Ferreira, who had won the seat from the Liberals in a by-election in February 2007, was narrowly defeated by a swing back to Liberal candidate Laura Albanese. Almost twice as many people voted in the riding in the general election compared to the by-election.

In Toronto's other notable race, Liberal incumbent Kathleen Wynne defeated PC leader John Tory in Don Valley West. Tory previously represented Dufferin—Caledon, but had chosen to run in a Toronto riding in the general election.

Toronto's only incumbent from 2003 not to run again was Liberal MPP Mary Anne Chambers. The Liberals successfully retained the seat under new candidate Margarett Best.

See also

References

Further reading

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