The Ontario Liberals suffered a disastrous night on Thursday, barely out of “minivan” party status with their leader Steven Del Duca who lost in his hometown and left.
CTV News predicts that Del Duca’s Liberals will remain the third party in the 43rd provincial parliament, with Doug Ford winning a second majority term as prime minister by a considerable margin.
The NDP under Andrea Horwath will remain the official opposition in the province, according to CTV News projects.
Speaking to fans at Vaughan, Del Duca said it was time to do so.
“I have no doubt that the women and men we have chosen will do their part, rather than their part, to grow a new progressive movement in this province,” she said. “However, it will be a movement that will be led by a new leader; this afternoon I informed our party president of my intention to resign.”
He said he had asked party chairman Brian Johns to pursue a leadership career “as soon as is reasonable”.
The Liberals’ performance is a slight improvement over four years ago, when they only won seven seats and were unable to secure access to the privileges of official party status at Queen’s Park.
They are elected or led in eight seats.
Del Duca lost to current PC candidate Michael Tibollo at Vaughan-Woodbridge, who also beat Del Duca on the same bike in 2018.
Tibollo won Del Duca by 3,858 votes.
The Grits appear to have performed below the average suggested by the most recent polls.
Del Duca was first elected to the provincial office in 2012 and served as Minister of Transportation and Economic Development in the Wynne government from 2014 to 2018.
He became the party leader in a 2020 contest quickly overshadowed by the arrival of COVID-19 in Canada.
“I want to congratulate Doug Ford and I hope he leads this province well, I say it and I say it sincerely, because above all, I am a father,” he said, gesturing to his daughters Talia and Grace.
He explained how he wanted the Liberals to approach the upcoming elections.
“We care that you feel respected, we care that you feel included, we care that you feel seen, and we look beyond the neighborhood where you grew up, rich or poor, rural or urban, north or south, to do so. “That’s what Ontario liberals believe in.”