Route links
- Ontario Elections
- Canadian politics
Earlier this week, Del Duca pledged to continue as a leader regardless of the outcome of the election
Date Posted:
June 2, 2022 • 4 hours ago • 3 minutes reading • 43 comments Ontario Liberal Party leader Steven Del Duca arrives at his election night in Vaughan on June 2, 2022. Photo by Chris Young / The Canadian Press
Content of the article
OTTAWA – Ontario Liberal Steven Del Duca resigned Thursday after failing to secure his own seat, official party status or a significantly larger seat for his party in the provincial legislature.
Announcement 2
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
At 10:45 p.m., the Liberals were leaders or elected in eight seats, more than the seven they had in the legislature when they dissolved, but Del Duca’s Vaughan-Woodbridge constituency was not among them.
Del Duca said he was proud of the effort made by the party, but that was not enough.
“I have no doubt that the women and men the Ontario Liberals have elected to the legislature will do their part, in fact they will do more than their part to help grow a new and energetic progressive movement in Ontario.” he said to a room. full of supporters. “It will be a movement that will be led by a new leader.
He said the party would run out of debt by the end of the year and was confident he would be in a better position to fight in a future campaign, but said he would do so with a new leader at the helm.
Announcement 3
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
“I know that as a political family and as a political movement we will start the next campaign from a much better place,” Del Duca said.
Earlier this week, he pledged to remain the leader regardless of the outcome, but the party’s result was well below even the worst estimates of most pollsters, who predicted the Liberals would have at least enough seats to regain party status.
-
Map mounted on horseback of the provincial vote of 2022
-
Doug Ford’s PC roar to a majority victory in Ontario
The Liberals lost eastern Ontario to Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, which had been controlled by the cruiser Amanda Simard and Thunder Bay-Superior North. They were making up for these losses with possible victories in Kingston, Toronto and Barrie.
Announcement 4
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
The lack of official party status will be a major setback for the Liberals, the parties need at least 12 seats to obtain that status, and it entails more funding, more questions during the question period and more staff to help make the presence of a party. Duca was a minister in the government of former minister Kathleen Wynne and won the party leadership contest in 2020 by a comfortable margin over several of his former cabinet colleagues.
The 2018 election was a disaster for Wynne, as the party plummeted in support, lost 48 seats and moved from government to third party in the legislature. With only seven seats, the party did not even have official party status in the legislature.
Ashley Csanady, a senior consultant for McMillan Vantage Policy Group and a former employee of Wynne, said that after 2018 the party was left in a big hole and tonight was the start of a climb.
Announcement 5
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Content of the article
“They did a good job, gaining momentum, conducting a professional campaign that fits the Liberal Party’s brand, really with little amount compared to the resources we’ve had in the past,” he said.
Under Doug Ford, progressive-conservatives attracted more working-class votes than before, even gaining the support of major private sector unions. Csanady said that if the Liberals want to return to power, they will have to find out if this is a temporary move or a permanent change.
“It’s a Doug Ford phenomenon or we’ve seen forever the blue-collar type of vote, especially those unions, private sector unions that fall into the Conservative camp,” he said.
The PCs held power for 42 years between 1943 and 1985, including 14 years under former Prime Minister Bill Davis. Csanady said the party’s version was moderate and welcoming and that part of the Ford government had some similarities.
“Going back to Bill Davis’ years, the PC party was a moderate party with a big tent. And the only thing you love or hate about Doug Ford is that he’s not a rabid supporter.”
• Email: rtumilty@postmedia.com | Twitter: ryantumilty
Share this article on your social network
Announcements
This ad has not yet been uploaded, but your article continues below.
Published NP
Sign up to receive daily highlights from National Post, a division of Postmedia Network Inc.
By clicking the sign up button, you agree to receive the previous Postmedia Network Inc. newsletter. You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300
Thanks for signing up!
A welcome email is on its way. If you don’t see it, check your junk folder.
The next issue of NP Posted will soon be in your inbox.
We encountered a problem registering you. Please try again
Comments
Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil discussion forum and encouraging all readers to share their views on our articles. Comments can take up to an hour to moderate before appearing on the site. We urge you to keep your comments relevant and respectful. We’ve enabled email notifications – you will now receive an email if you receive a response to your comment, there is an update to a comment thread you are following, or if a user is still commenting. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information and details on how to adjust your email settings.