Doug Ford — brother of the late, great Toronto mayor Rob Ford — is set to replace far-left openly gay liberal Kathleen Wynne to become the next Premier of Ontario.

You may remember Wynne from the viral photo last year where she was pictured being forced to sit in a corner while visiting a Mosque in Ontario to speak about tolerance and diversity.

Wynne was Canada’s first openly gay head of government and the first female Premier of Ontario. You’ll no doubt be shocked to learn she ran the province into the ground.

Doug Ford, the brother of troubled former Toronto mayor Rob Ford, is on course to be elected the premier of Canada’s most populous province. Mr Ford’s centre-right Progressive Conservatives (PC) are projected to defeat the Ontario Liberals, who have been in power since 2003. The 53-year-old former city councillor was close to his brother Rob, who died in 2016 of a rare cancer. A populist politician, he invited comparisons to US President Trump.

Mr Ford is known for his plain-speaking style and attacks on media and the elites – whom he once described as “drinking champagne with their pinkies in the air”. Mr Ford has voiced support for Donald Trump, though he has dismissed the direct comparison and has been careful to avoid controversial comments during the hotly contested race for Ontario. The final days of the campaign saw the PCs in a neck-and-neck battle with the left-leaning New Democrats, with most polls showing them holding a knife-edge lead over their rivals. Mr Ford ran a populist campaign, promising to fight for “the little guy” and to make life more affordable for Ontario residents by cutting energy cost, slashing the price of petrol, and lowering provincial income tax. He also vowed to challenge federal carbon pricing plans and to repeal the province’s cap-and-trade programme. […]As Toronto mayor, Rob Ford gained international notoriety for his scandals, outlandish public acts, and drug use, including admitting to smoking crack cocaine.

He was a truly great man.

No doubt he’s smiling down on us all from heaven.

He won the mayoral election in 2010 with votes from the so-called “Ford Nation” – a political movement of mainly suburban voters around Toronto that formed the core of his support. During Rob Ford’s time running Toronto, the brothers were inseparable, with Doug Ford once referring to himself as “co-mayor”. A businessman who inherited the family’s label-making business, Mr Ford only recently entered provincial politics.

This was quite possibly the worst loss in history for the Liberals.

While Kathleen Wynne was re-elected in her own riding of Don Valley West, the Liberals fell just shy of the eight seats needed to maintain official party status in the province of Ontario, with MPs elected in just seven ridings. Recognized parties are entitled to speak during debates and are guaranteed the opportunity to pose questions during question period. They receive public money to establish party offices to help them with research and other organizational tasks. “They don’t get money for research, at the legislature. They don’t get representation on legislative committees. It means that they don’t get recognized during question period as a party, which means they’ll have a hard time raising questions,” said Nelson Wiseman, a political science professor at the University of Toronto.

“Life is always complicated,” Wynne told supporters in Toronto after resigning on Thursday.

Here’s more of the specifics of Ford’s platform from Bloomberg:

The Conservatives are promising to balance the budget over a “responsible time-frame” even as they pledge to cut taxes and increase spending on health care and infrastructure. Ontario’s debt has ballooned under the Liberal Party, soaring to 37 percent of gross domestic product, from about 27 percent when they took power in 2003. Ontario, home to some of Canada’s biggest companies and its financial services hub, is the largest sub-sovereign borrower in the world. Ford succeeds Kathleen Wynne, a five-year incumbent who conceded last week that she was headed for defeat. Her party had grown deeply unpopular amid rising electricity prices and voter fatigue. Ford’s main rival was New Democratic Party Leader Andrea Horwath, 55, who pitched tax hikes on corporations and high earners to finance expanded social programs. The Conservatives and NDP were neck and neck in most polls based on popular support, though Ford’s backing was more widely spread across the province, leading to more seats. Ford also pledged to scrap the province’s cap-and-trade program to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, setting up a showdown with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who has vowed to ensure every Canadian province adopts some form of carbon tax. Ford also wants to get rid of the chief executive officer of Hydro One Ltd., the provincial utility that was sold to investors through an initial public offering in 2015. It’s not clear a premier has the power to do that as the government holds a 47 percent stake.

Globalists are being destroyed on all fronts!</s>TORONTO _ Ontario voters poised to deliver sweeping change to the province’s political landscape encountered a handful of technical glitches and unspecified delays as they headed to the polls on Thursday.

Voters were casting their ballots to choose a victor in the hotly contested race that’s pitting Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives against the New Democrats led by Andrea Horwath. The election is also raising questions about whether the governing Liberals, who have held power in the province for the past 15 years, will retain official party status.

But the voting process, like the campaign that preceded it, was not without complications.

Elections Ontario said it had to extend voting hours at three of the province’s approximately 7,200 polls.

The organization did not immediately explain why it prolonged voting at individual polls in the eastern Ontario riding of Glengarry-Prescott-Russell, the Toronto-area riding of York South-Weston, and the Kiiwetinoong riding in the northwest of the province.

Voting hours in those locations were extended anywhere from 40 minutes to four hours beyond the 9 p.m. closing time in the rest of the province.

Early in the day a number of voters took to social media to complain of problems with the new technology that’s been deployed across half of the province’s 7,200 voting locations in a bid to cut down staffing levels and speed up results.

But Elections Ontario said 99.6 per cent of the polls currently using the new scanning and tabulation machines are working as expected.

“The few voting locations that are experiencing technical issues are being addressed if they have not already been rectified,” the organization said in a statement. “In the event of a technical issue, poll officials will revert to the traditional paper method of servicing electors, the same process which is in place at polls where technology is not being used for voting.”

Two of the three party leaders were among those casting their ballots early on election day.

Premier Kathleen Wynne, who issued a stunning statement conceding her party’s looming defeat days before the election, appeared upbeat Thursday after voting in the riding she’s fighting to retain.

“I’m looking forward to what the people of Ontario decide,” she said. “It’s going to be an exciting night.”

A smiling Ford simply said he was “feeling great” after casting his ballot in his home riding.

The Progressive Conservatives and the NDP have polled neck and neck for most of the campaign, with the Tories giving up a strong lead they held at the beginning. But a tie in popular support could lead to the Tories winning a majority of seats, projections suggest.

As Tory leader, Ford rolled out several popular promises, from cutting gas prices by 10 cents a litre to introducing buck-a-beer to cutting hydro bills. But he was accused of failing to be transparent by dodging calls to release a fully costed platform.

With about one week left in the campaign, the party published a list of promises and their price tags, but didn’t indicate how they would pay for them, what size of deficits they would run or for exactly how long.

Then in the waning days of the campaign, Ford family drama _ that had laid mostly dormant in the public sphere since the death of his brother, former Toronto mayor Rob Ford _ burst onto the scene with a lawsuit from Rob Ford’s widow alleging Ford mishandled his brother’s estate and destroyed the value of the family business.

Late in the campaign, to soothe wary voters, Ford also began emphasizing the strength of his team, which includes former long-time legislator Christine Elliott, lawyer and businesswoman Caroline Mulroney and former Postmedia executive and Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp. CEO Rod Phillips.

By contrast, Horwath consistently polled as the most popular of the three party leaders, so Ford repeatedly slammed her roster of candidates as radical and inexperienced.

The Liberals warned that the NDP’s plan was not practical, gleefully pointing out mathematical errors in their platform, including one that increased their proposed deficit by $1.4 billion annually. Wynne also frequently slammed Horwath’s opposition to back-to-work legislation, saying it would lead to indefinite strikes.

Horwath made a pitch to undecided voters Wednesday, framing the ballot as a “stark” choice between her positive plan to help families create better lives and the cost-cutting proposals of Ford.

On Thursday while visiting campaign volunteers in Toronto, Horwath said it’s been a great campaign.

“I’m excited about the possibilities that await us tonight and tomorrow should we be given the opportunity to be the government that continues to push Ontario forward,” she said.

The NDP has been relegated for the past several decades to holding pockets of seats in the north, southwestern Ontario and Toronto. But party insiders say their number crunching shows them poised to capture seats in broader swaths of the province, eyeing several Liberal strongholds.

The Liberals came to power in 2003 under Dalton McGuinty, and when he stepped down in 2013, Wynne took the reins. She led the party to a majority in 2014, despite the party already being bogged down by scandals at eHealth Ontario, air ambulance service Ornge and a price tag of up to $1.1 billion to cancel two gas plants.

Her popularity began to dip after taking power, and reached well below 20 per cent in 2016 and 2017, in large part due to anger over rising hydro prices.

The Liberals eventually cut bills by eight per cent, then another 17 per cent months later, but by her own admission, Wynne failed to recognize early enough the impacts that investments in the energy system were having on people’s wallets.

She also faced criticism over her partial privatization of Hydro One and her decision to plunge the province’s books back into the red after finally getting them to balance in 2017-18.

Wynne insisted that the billions pumped into health care, child care and a drug and dental-care program represented necessary spending.

Wynne spent the last few days of the campaign pleading with voters to elect at least some Liberals. Party insiders say they are worried they could win fewer than eight of the province’s 124 seats, which would mean a loss of official party status in the legislature.

The day before polls opened, Elections Ontario advised voters in the riding of Ottawa-Vanier that inaccurate information about some voting locations appeared to be circulating.

On Thursday, the organization said it was not aware of similar situations arising in other ridings. A spokeswoman advised all voters to check their voter information cards or the Elections Ontario website for accurate information about where to vote.</s>TORONTO -- Doug Ford said Friday he's working with Ontario's outgoing Liberals to ensure a smooth transition to power -- a process he said would take three weeks, involve the help of those who've worked at the federal level and see the formation of a strong Progressive Conservative cabinet.

The premier-designate, who secured a majority a day earlier with a slew of populist promises, said his first order of business would be to scrutinize the province's books.

"We have to see the financial situation that's been left behind, and over the next couple days and weeks you're going to hear from us, but the most important thing is getting our fiscal house in order," Ford said.

"Immediately, we'll be out looking for an auditing firm to go into the province to go line item by line item. I always believe in third party validation."

Once the audit is complete, Ford said he planned to address many of the promises he made during the election campaign, including lowering taxes, cutting hydro rates, and eliminating the cap-and-trade system.

"After a hard-fought campaign, we know the hard work has just begun," he said. "But we intend to act fast. We will have much more to share with the people of Ontario in the coming days and weeks."

Ford's transition team, which will help him segue into power over 21 days, includes former Conservative MP John Baird, a past chief of staff in former prime minister Stephen Harper's government, and an executive at the Ford family business.

"We have already hit the ground running," Ford said. "We have begun work right away on setting up the premier's office, establishing a cabinet and implementing the machinery of a new government."

Ontario's lieutenant-governor met with Ford on Friday afternoon, inviting him to form government.

The Tories secured 76 ridings, the NDP got 40 and the Liberals were reduced to seven seats. Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner captured the party's first-ever seat in Ontario.

The NDP's position as the Official Opposition marks a turnaround for the party consistently stuck in third place since Bob Rae's New Democratic government was defeated in 1995. Party leader Andrea Horwath said Friday that Ontarians have chosen her New Democrats to keep Ford accountable.

"Our ideas are quite different and Mr. Ford's plan to cut all those taxes for the richest people in Ontario is going to put a big hole in our finances here in this province," she said. "I'm hopeful that Mr. Ford understands that we need revenues in our province to pay for the kinds of things that people expect a government to provide."

Ford was frequently accused during the election campaign of failing to be transparent by dodging calls to release a fully costed platform. The party eventually published a list of promises and their price tags, but didn't indicate how they would pay for them, what size of deficits they would run or for exactly how long.

The premier-designate said Friday that he planned to live up to his promises, including to repeal the Liberals' updated sex-ed curriculum.

"What we say we're going to do, we're going to do. We aren't going to flip-flop," he said. "We want to make sure over the next four years that our mandate gets fulfilled based on the people voting us in."

He declined, however, to discuss specifics when asked about the timing of that, as well as when and how he would scrap the Liberals' cap-and-trade program, or if he will introduce back-to-work legislation to end a months-long strike at York University in Toronto.

Ford also emphasized ties with the federal government Friday, saying he had spoken with Justin Trudeau and told the prime minister he stood with him in a trade dispute with the United States.

Trudeau and U.S. President Donald Trump have exchanged tough words after the U.S. imposed hefty tariffs on steel and aluminum from Canada, Mexico and Europe. Canada has countered with a plan to impose tariffs of its own on U.S. metals and other consumer goods.

Ford was asked what he thinks of how Trump is handling trade issues.

"I talked to the prime minister yesterday," he said. "I said we'll stand united against our neighbours to the south and I'm very sincere when I say that. United we stand as a country and I'll work hand in hand with the prime minister."

Meanwhile, Ford would not say if he will lower the legislature's threshold for official party status to accommodate the Liberals, who were decimated at the polls. The bar is currently eight seats.</s>TORONTO - The Progressive Conservative Party, led by populist Doug Ford, is on track to take control of Ontario, Canada's most populous province, ending 15 years of Liberal rule, Canadian networks projected on Thursday.



Ford is the brother of the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford, who made international news in 2013 when he admitted to smoking crack cocaine.</s>All in all, it has been a good week for government in Canada. Ontario is finally on the road to sane, if not elegant and stylish, government. The new administration will be psychologically capable of emancipating the province and its hydroelectric system from the credulous and insidious champions of energy at maximum cost from fear of the climate bogeyman that possessed the outgoing regime like a satanic force in a nightmare. The response would have been rational if the danger had been imminent, or even real; but scores of billions of dollars have been spent or committed that are just scandalous profligacy. The new government will cut costs and taxes fearlessly and most Ontarians will be the better for it.

It was also the best week Justin Trudeau has had. He finally intervened in the Kinder Morgan pipeline debacle (largely his own creation), and in taking over the project, there seems to be general agreement that he got a pretty good bargain for the taxpayer. This could revive the high tradition of public- and private-sector co-operation that largely founded and built Canada. This was the formula that Jean Talon employed in the late 17th century to set up Canada’s brewing, iron, textile and shipbuilding industries, that John A. Macdonald employed in building the Canadian Pacific Railway, Wilfrid Laurier and Clifford Sifton in attracting the immigrants who populated the West, C.D. Howe applied in the war effort, and in building the TransCanada Pipeline, and even Pierre Trudeau employed at Petro-Canada.

If Justin Trudeau bangs provincial heads together and faces down the more egregious native leaders and actually builds the line and emancipates Alberta’s suffering oil industry from extortion and oppression, he will score a solid victory for Canada and himself. While he is at it, he should build the Energy East pipeline and end this country’s nonsensical importation of oil from politically disreputable countries while our domestic production surplus languishes underpriced or unsold in Alberta. If, instead of decisive action, the federal government enters a new and fruitless era of dithering and moral intimidation by native extremists and eco-lunatics, this initiative in public ownership will be a disaster.

The issue of trade with the United States is very complicated. Only trade wonks and those familiar with the detailed negotiations could judge if American impatience with Canada is justified. It is understandable that the Trump administration is exasperated by the conduct of Mexico, which has enjoyed a $65-billion annual trade surplus with the U.S. while facilitating the flow of up to 500,000 illegal migrants into the United States annually, almost all of them unskilled, and failing to deal effectively with the entry into the united States of immensely dangerous quantities of illegal drugs, especially opioids. This has been happening as Mexico has enticed American companies to close their factories and dismiss their American workforces, move just across the Mexican border to take advantage of low wages and taxes, and not to remit to the U.S. the increased profits they make from exporting goods and unemployment back into the United States; and to re-enlist the profits in Mexico. You can’t blame Mexico for taking all it can get. But nor can you blame the United States for refusing to tolerate it any longer. Canada is essentially a fair-trading country and it should be possible to work this out without excessive abrasions.

Justin Trudeau struck a good note with American television news viewers by saying how offensive it was that Canada was being commercially penalized under national security legislation, as if Canada threatened American security. Of course that is not what the recourse to that statute actually implies, but it was good spin. Some Canadian government spokesmen were inadvisedly belligerent, threatening step-by-step escalation as far as necessary to bring Washington to its senses. The objective facts are that the United States could produce almost everything required for its domestic needs, as it did during the Second World War, after a brief transitional period. That is not the case with Canada and we have only one land neighbour, and despite all our good works in the world as Dudley Do-Right the red-tunicked peacekeeper, no sane person should invest much trust in the rest of the world doing us any favours.

The United States has an $865-billion trade deficit and it is going to reduce it drastically and has the ability to do so — it is already happening in the case of the biggest component, oil imports. There isn’t a deficit with Canada if financial services are included and we should be able to settle this down with neither embarrassment nor pugnacious histrionics. But a real trade argument with the United States would be very hazardous, as our exports to the U.S. are over 20 per cent of our GDP, and theirs to Canada are only two per cent of U.S. GDP. America now has more jobs open than it has unemployed and is posting 4.8 per cent economic growth this quarter, about two-and-a-half times the Canadian level. Most of the American jobs dependent on exports to Canada are not in states won by President Trump, where the administration may not be as sensitive as in solid Republican states.

There have been suggestions of solidarity with the EU and China, who really have been shafting America provocatively in some ways, and deserve to be sharply rebuffed. We should not get into that fracas, where the Americans have the high cards and some countries are going to take some pain. The most asinine suggestion was Scott Gilmore’s in Maclean’s (the husband of my friend but in energy matters, misguided, Catherine McKenna, federal environment minister). He advocated the countries recently hit by the U.S. in trade matters join for a counter-Magnitsky Act and impose individual boycotts on Americans deemed responsible for unfair trade practices. (The American Magnitsky Act targets those deemed responsible or complicit in the death in captivity of Sergei Magnitsky, a crusader against Russian government corruption.) That would lead to the end of practically all exports to the U.S. by those countries, and the end of the Western Alliance. All the slackers who have happily granted the United States the right to defend them without paying their own way, like Canada, would have the pleasure of going it alone. There are many more people employed elsewhere serving the market for U.S. imports than there are Americans working in export industries. This is an argument the United States can’t lose and those who have become addicted to picking that country’s pockets are just going to have to seek rehabilitation like other junkies after a cold-turkey break from the habit.

The most agreeable governmental outcome of the week was the triumph of Joe Groia at the Supreme Court. Some readers may remember my writing about this case several years ago. Groia, former director of enforcement at the Ontario Securities Commission (in days when it was still a half-serious operation), successfully defended in the Felderhof case. This was the tokenistic prosecution of a junior officer of the ill-fated Bre-X Corporation. He gained an acquittal in an abrasive trial, and his conduct, though criticized by the trial judge, was deemed to be acceptable. The Law Society of Upper Canada however, as it torqued up its professional requirement for championship of inclusivity and diversity and other authoritarian leftist nostrums, charged Groia with incivility and fined and suspended him. My friend and sometime counsel, distinguished barrister Earl Cherniak QC, fought this case through the Law Society’s internal kangaroo court and kangaroo appeal court and then through the law courts all the way to victory, 6-3, in the Supreme Court of Canada.

Given the cause and the circumstances, Earl Cherniak underbilled his client (a commendable policy I wish he had adopted when he also successfully represented me). It is a magnificent victory for both of them. In the midst of the struggle, Joe Groia was elected by his professional colleagues as a bencher of the Law Society, which indicates what an abusive little fiefdom the Law Society officials have been running for themselves. Maybe the incoming Ontario government will spruce up the concept of professional self-regulation; this is one area that could stand some state interference in the public interest.

Last week, Canada’s democratic system was working well, not least in comparison with the United States, where most of the former heads of the justice department, the FBI, the major intelligence agencies and the last unsuccessful presidential candidate and her entourage are all entering the grey zone of indictability and possible conviction. It is a tawdry and absorbing spectacle, but it isn’t peace, order, and good government.
• Conrad Black: Why Doug Ford must be the next premier of Ontario
• Conrad Black: The forces of America’s left were no match for Canadian intellect and English wit
• Conrad Black: The Arabs have abandoned the Palestinians. They should accept any deal they can get</s>On election day in Ontario, officials are urging excited citizens to think twice before taking a selfie with their ballot.

Taking a selfie with a completed ballot is a violation of the province’s Election Act because it undermines the secrecy of the vote, Elections Ontario says.

A photo of a completed ballot, even if it’s not in a selfie, is also a violation of the law.

Before the 2015 federal election, Elections Canada said voters could be influenced if they were allowed to take photos showing their choice at the ballot box.

Instead of posing with your ballot, why not express your enthusiasm for the democratic process by posing with one of the Elections Ontario signs that designate your local polling stations? There’s no law against that.</s>"A new day has dawned in Ontario: a day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth. We're going to turn this province around. We will make sure Ontario is the greatest place on earth to live, to do business and to raise a family. And we will make Ontario once again the engine of Canada." — Premier-elect Doug Ford

"Our democracy is strong. And because of that, let me congratulate Doug Ford. I've spoken to him and I wish him well. And I have committed to work with him to make this transition as smooth as possible. And now I trust that the rancour and the polarization of an election campaign can give way to the necessary civility of well-run government." — Kathleen Wynne, Liberal leader and former premier

"Today millions of people voted for change for the better. We have won more seats than we have held in a generation." — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

"Ontarians have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to Doug Ford who will have the honour and privilege to serve as premier. I look forward to working with the new provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, make Ontario a world-leading centre for innovative and sustainable technologies, and build infrastructure that meets the needs of Ontarians." — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Today, the people of Ontario have elected a new Progressive Conservative government, putting an end to 15 years of Liberal mismanagement. On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to the next Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, and his new team of incoming Progressive Conservative MPPs." — Andrew Scheer, federal Conservative leader, on Facebook</s>"A new day has dawned in Ontario: a day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth. We're going to turn this province around. We will make sure Ontario is the greatest place on earth to live, to do business and to raise a family. And we will make Ontario once again the engine of Canada." — Premier-elect Doug Ford

"Our democracy is strong. And because of that, let me congratulate Doug Ford. I've spoken to him and I wish him well. And I have committed to work with him to make this transition as smooth as possible. And now I trust that the rancour and the polarization of an election campaign can give way to the necessary civility of well-run government." — Kathleen Wynne, Liberal leader and former premier

"Today millions of people voted for change for the better. We have won more seats than we have held in a generation." — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

"Ontarians have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to Doug Ford who will have the honour and privilege to serve as premier. I look forward to working with the new provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, make Ontario a world-leading centre for innovative and sustainable technologies, and build infrastructure that meets the needs of Ontarians." — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Today, the people of Ontario have elected a new Progressive Conservative government, putting an end to 15 years of Liberal mismanagement. On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to the next Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, and his new team of incoming Progressive Conservative MPPs." — Andrew Scheer, federal Conservative leader, on Facebook</s>Doug Ford, leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, won a majority government this evening in a landmark election that swept the Liberal Party from power after 15 years. He delivered his victory speech to PC supporters in Toronto a short time ago. Here’s what he said:

That’s an incredible welcome, I thank you. Hazel McCallion, I thank you.

Thank you so much my friends what a response. This is incredible. Thank you from the bottom of my heart. I’ll never forget the trust you put in me. My friends this victory belongs to you. this victory belongs to the people. And tonight the people of Ontario have spoken.

People from every walk of life, from every corner of this great province, people from every political stripe, you have come together around one common vision of Ontario. You have sent a clear message: a message of hope and prosperity.

A vision for the people of this province, a vision of a government that works for the people. A government that respects you, a government with integrity, a government that will always put you first.

My friends, help is here.

Our team will work every single day to deliver this vision. We will every single day for a better Ontario, a better future and a brighter future for our children. An era of economic prosperity, the likes of which this province has never seen before. Prosperity that will benefit every resident of Ontario, and tonight we have sent a clear message to the world: Ontario is open for business.

My friends, I am so proud. So proud of the incredible team that you have sent to Queen’s Park: a team of all-stars that will work for you, a team that will always put you first and we are grateful to all of those who put their names forward. All of those who ran under the PC banner, thank you for your hard work and sacrifice.

My friends, when we began this journey, I made a commitment to you. I made a commitment to Ontario. I promised to work hard, I promised to run an honest and positive campaign, to focus on the policies that matter to you. I promised to deliver a strong, stable majority government and together we did that.

Together we made history. We have taken back Ontario. We have delivered a government that is for the people. A government that will respect your hard-earned tax dollars. And my friends, the party with the tax payers dollars is over, it’s done. But the work has just begun. Our team will get to work immediately. We will deliver on our plan for the people. We will bring accountability, transparency and integrity to the tax payers of Ontario. We will reduce your taxes, reduce your gas prices and keep more money in your pocket.

A plan to fix our economy and create more good, paying jobs. A plan to invest in the priorities that matter to you. And, my friends, together, with our skilled team of MVPs, this is what we will deliver.

My friends, I want to thank my family for all of your support, love and support. To my wife, Karla, my mom, Diane, and my four girls, you’ve been my rock. I couldn’t have done this without you. And I can tell you, I know that my brother Rob is looking down from heaven.

I’m just getting chills talking about him right now. I know Rob is celebrating with us tonight, we owe so much to Rob’s legacy. A legacy of service to the people, a legacy started by my father, Doug Ford Sr., and legacy that will continue.

I want to thank my incredible campaign team, the best political team ever assembled, ever. A skilled and dedicated team who worked hard and stuck together. And I want to thank the thousands and thousands of volunteers from all across Ontario. You left everything on the field.

But most of all, I want to thank each of you, I thank you. I want to thank the people of Ontario, I owe everything to you. Your support, your energy, your belief in our cause. You are the ones who kept me going, who energized me at every single stop and reminded me what’s at stake, what we are fighting for. You reminded me to stay humbled and stay focused. You are the reason we are here today.

Those who didn’t support us, I want you to know I will work even harder to earn your confidence. I also need to acknowledge our opponents in this race. To Kathleen Wynne and Andrea Horwath, you fought a hard, very hard campaign. And I’ll tel you, Ontario is better for it. We’ve had our different approacgesm but we all share in the same goal of a better Ontario.

And I want to work together to deliver on our mandate for the people.

My friends, a new day has dawned on Ontario. A day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth. We’re going to turn this province around, so our children and their children will always be proud to call Ontario home.

We will make sure Ontario is the greatest place on Earth to live, to do business and to raise a family. And will make Ontario once again the engine of Canada.

My friends, together in 88 short days we achieved the impossible. We united our party, united our province and this is your victory. Tonight is your night.

I thank you, and god bless each and every one of you. Thank you.</s>"A new day has dawned in Ontario: a day of opportunity, a day of prosperity and a day of growth. We're going to turn this province around. We will make sure Ontario is the greatest place on earth to live, to do business and to raise a family. And we will make Ontario once again the engine of Canada." — Premier-elect Doug Ford

"Our democracy is strong. And because of that, let me congratulate Doug Ford. I've spoken to him and I wish him well. And I have committed to work with him to make this transition as smooth as possible. And now I trust that the rancour and the polarization of an election campaign can give way to the necessary civility of well-run government." — Kathleen Wynne, Liberal leader and former premier

"Today millions of people voted for change for the better. We have won more seats than we have held in a generation." — NDP Leader Andrea Horwath

"Ontarians have chosen to elect a majority government led by the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party. On behalf of the Government of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to Doug Ford who will have the honour and privilege to serve as premier. I look forward to working with the new provincial government to create good, middle class jobs, make Ontario a world-leading centre for innovative and sustainable technologies, and build infrastructure that meets the needs of Ontarians." — Prime Minister Justin Trudeau

"Today, the people of Ontario have elected a new Progressive Conservative government, putting an end to 15 years of Liberal mismanagement. On behalf of the Conservative Party of Canada, I offer my sincere congratulations to the next Premier of Ontario, Doug Ford, and his new team of incoming Progressive Conservative MPPs." — Andrew Scheer, federal Conservative leader, on Facebook
Canadian citizens residing in Ontario go to the polls to elect a new provincial government.