TORONTO, June 4 (LSN) – The Ontario election held last night saw Mike Harris’s Progressive
Conservative government returned to power. Political commentators note that it was mainly a
two-party race in most ridings with the NDP doing so poorly that it lost party status
gaining only 9 of a needed 12 seats. The Conservatives won a slightly higher percentage of
seats from the last election (45.1% compared to 44.8% in 1995), but they lost three cabinet
ministers, in one case a major victory for moral conservatism. The Liberals gained almost
9% in seats, giving them 35 against the Tories’ 59 seats.
Conservative cabinet minister Isabel Bassett, who was the Minister of Citizenship, Culture
and Recreation when the election was called went down to defeat to Liberal Michael Bryant
in the downtown Toronto riding of St. Paul’s. Strictly speaking Bryant is not considered an
improvement over Basset on life and family issues, but Bassett, with her influence in
cabinet was seen as a major stumbling block to the advancement of a pro-life, pro-family
agenda.
One surprising defeat was the ousting of Conservative Education Minister Dave Johnson. The
Liberal victor, David Caplan, is believed to be less friendly than Johnson on life issues.
On education, the issue that apparently destroyed the cabinet minister, some conservative
commentators were disappointed that Johnson had not provided alternatives in his education
reform agenda. Tim Bloedow, publisher of The Conservative Times, said that “instead of
maintaining his staunch defence of Ontario’s public education industry, he should have
promoted charter schools, privatization, home education and other real alternatives that
would have gained more votes from concerned parents.”
Pro-lifers suffered their share of losses in the election, notably PC MPP Jim Brown who was
the most active Tory legislator on life and family issues and chairman of the PC Family
Values Caucus. He lost to another incumbent, Liberal MPP Gerry Phillips, in Scarborough-
Agincourt. Brown’s campaign suffered major opposition including dirty campaign tactics such
as the distribution of anonymous hate literature, the loss of over 600 election signs, and
the occupation of his campaign office by Anti-Racist Action, an extremist left-wing
organization which advocates violence. Other pro-life MPP’s who failed to be re-elected
include David Boushy of Sarnia-Lambton and Tom Froese of St Catherines, both Tories.
Ontario has also elected its “first openly gay MPP” (from his campaign literature) with
Toronto Centre-Rosedale’s Liberal George Smitherman. He told Campaign Life: “I believe in a
woman’s right to make her own decisions about her reproductive health. And I’ll say so –
in very clear terms, I am pro-choice.”
Pro-abortion forces suffered major loses with the ousting of NDP MPP Marion Boyd. Boyd was
likely the most obvious pro-abortion activist in Queen’s Park. She spear-headed the NDP
injunction against pro-life protest at Ontario abortion facilities which has led to the
repeated imprisonment of peaceful protestor Linda Gibbons. Family Values Caucus member Gary
Guzzo trounced NDP MPP Alex Cullen in Ottawa West Nepean. Pro-abortion NDP MPP Tony Silipo
of Davenport lost to Liberal MPP Tony Ruprecht.
The ranking of the Family Coalition Party as Ontario’s fourth largest party has been called
into question. Running only 37 candidates they were beaten in numbers by the Green Party
with 58 candidates. In ridings where both the FCP and Greens ran, the latter faired better
overall. FCP votes did not reach 4% in any riding, a substantial drop from previous years.
Although the Tories have done extremely little for life and family in their last term there
is some consolation in the significant number of individual Tory MPPs who are social
conservatives. Campaign Life Coalition leaders suggest that If these MPPs decide to place
more emphasis this time on their obligations to the voters and their personal principles on
social issues there is hope of some gains.
CLC sent a congratulatory communication today to all the winners also stating “A strong,
healthy democracy demands that politicians always be accountable first to the electorate
and the needs of the people rather than to a party or government bureaucrats.” It also
stated “You are encouraged to strengthen and protect Ontario’s families, especially the
most vulnerable members – those in their mother’s womb, the handicapped and the elderly or
chronically ill.”
For a riding by riding breakdown of the vote see:
https://www.theglobeandmail.com/gam/OntarioElection/19990604/URESU.html
https://election.radio-canada.com/on/resultats/liste_circ_alpha.asp?Langue=e