Ontario’s governing Progressive Conservatives will head back to the legislature with their incumbent agriculture minister at the caucus table.
Lisa Thompson, Premier Doug Ford’s minister of agriculture, food and rural affairs since June last year, easily held her southwestern riding of Huron-Bruce in Thursday’s provincial election by a spread of 15,594 votes over Liberal challenger Shelley Blackmore, a farmer and retired teacher, with all polls reporting.
With almost 99 per cent of polls reporting provincewide, and an expected voter turnout of just over 43 per cent, Ford’s Tories were elected or leading in 83 of 124 seats just after midnight Friday.
Read Also
China seeks improved ties with Canada amid rising trade tensions
China called on Friday for steps to improve bilateral ties with Canada, saying there were no deep-seated conflicts of interest, following a spike in trade tensions with many of Beijing’s Western trade partners this year.
Andrea Horwath’s official opposition New Democrats follow with 31 seats and Steven Del Duca’s Liberals in eight. Green Party leader Mike Schreiner also returns to the legislature. One independent candidate, Bobbi Ann Brady, won in Haldimand-Norfolk.
John Vanthof, the NDP’s incumbent ag critic and chief whip, was expected to hold his northeastern riding of Timiskaming-Cochrane, leading by a spread of 1,601 votes over the Tory challenger, conservation officer Bill Foy, just after midnight Friday with 80 of 82 polls reporting.
Meanwhile, the Liberals’ incumbent ag critic, Amanda Simard, was trailing in her eastern riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell by 1,627 votes behind Tory challenger Stephane Sarrazin, the mayor for the township of Alfred-Plantagenet, with 87 of 99 polls reporting.
Simard, previously the PCs’ parliamentary assistant for francophone affairs, had left the Tory caucus in 2018 to sit as an independent and crossed to the Liberals in 2020.
NDP leader Horwath, who held her riding of Hamilton-Centre, and Liberal leader Del Duca, who was defeated in the riding of Vaughn-Woodbridge, each announced Thursday night they will resign as their respective parties’ leaders.
Ford’s Tories had pledged, if returned to power, to put up $10 million in 2022–23 for a Food Security and Supply Chain Fund to attract and retain workers, and another $10 million to expand its Enhanced Agri-Food Workplace Protection Program, in support of worker health and safety.
The party also said it will put $5 million in 2022–23 toward emergency supports such as set-asides for livestock producers in the event of processing disruptions. — Glacier FarmMedia Network
