Liberals claim majority
By Scott McManus
Lance Writer
October 17, 2007
The election brought few surprises and little change as Ontario Liberals swept a majority government for the second consecutive time, the first back-to-back majority in exactly 70 years.
As the Conservatives began to fall apart closer to election day, Liberals forged ahead and found themselves with just over 42 per cent of the vote share and a commanding 71 seats in the provincial legislature. Conservatives finished a distant second with only 26 seats, while the NDP held a respectable 10 seats.
Locally, the Liberals also had a clean sweep, claiming all three ridings in the area. Essex MPP Bruce Crozier was re-elected for the second time with 9,000 votes, separating him from Conservative candidate Richard Kniaziew, while the Windsor-Tecumseh riding was taken by Liberal incumbent Dwight Duncan.
Windsor West’s long time MPP, Sandra Pupatello, was also re-elected and will begin her fourth consecutive term representing Windsor’s core at Queen’s Park. “The polls are never right,” Pupatello explained, “but this time they were.”
Pupatello who had won the last two elections by 18,000 and 14,000, respectively, found the gap much closer this time around winning over NDP candidate Mariano Kilmowicz by just under 8,000 votes.
Still, her campaign, which focused on her long record in office, won voters and gave her just over 50 per cent of the total vote share. “I think voters were scared of someone new taking over at such a time,” Pupatello explained.
As she went door to door she found that voters were more concerned with getting things done in government than arguing over new ideas. “Someone new at this stage would be bad,” she continued, “It would take them a week just to find the bathroom.”
Pupatello is hoping that with this large majority government and her already 12 years in office that she can expect great change for Windsor and soon.
Many will be keeping a close eye on Pupatello to make sure she delivers on her promises, including second place finisher Mariano Kilmowicz who was very pleased with the race he ran.
After receiving close to 26 percent of the vote share, Kilmowicz described how he got the media attention that he wanted to focus on the issues he found important. “I look forward to building on it for the next election,” he mentioned.
Like many Ontarians, however, Kilmowicz, was startled by the low voter turnout, which hit a record low of 52.6 per cent.
With large problems such as job loss and the new boarder crossing “It’s a wonder why people didn’t speak up,” Kilmowicz added.
Pupatello maintained the shift of focus from important issues to the over-examined ‘faith based schools’ fiasco may have drove voters away from the polls. Though Pupatello admitted, “In all the elections I’ve ran in, this was the least confrontational.”
Green party candidate Jason Haney was delighted with his campaigning and the results. “The party asked me to get 1,000 votes and I ended up with over 1,900,” he remarked.
Haney was one of many Green candidates who saw a massive increase in support for their party. Overall, the Greens collected over eight per cent of the vote, and had the mixed member proportional (MMP) referendum passed, it would have meant seats in the legislature for the first time in history.
“I fully believe that whole process was doomed from the start,” explained Haney of the referendum question, which required that MMP received 60 per cent of the vote, and won 65 ridings to pass.
While MMP would have given a greater voice to those who vote for smaller parties, Haney explained that the process may have confused elderly voters, and it was attacked for the extra money it would cost.
Both Pupatello and Kilmowicz agreed that MPP, which only received 36 per cent of the vote, reflected what they heard going door to door. “People didn’t understand what was going on. I had to explain it so many times at the door,” Kilmowicz commented.
Both Kilmowicz and Haney said they would run again but not before they make sure Pupatello stays true to her promises.
Over the next four years, Pupatello has to make Windsor issues a priority in Ontario. Otherwise, voters may come out in larger numbers declaring a time for a change.
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