Doug Ford strikes a magnanimous tone. The Big Blue Collar Machine. Andrea Horwath and Steven Del Duca exit stage left.
Alex Boutilier: It’s one thing to win a majority. It’s another thing to win a majority and watch your two principal rivals resign.
Andrea Horwath and Steven Del Duca’s resignations were the cherry on top of Doug Ford’s election night sundae, with the PCs easily securing another four years of majority rule in Ontario. It was smiles all-around at the Toronto Congress Centre in Etobicoke on Thursday night, after Global News took just 11 minutes to call Ford’s victory.
What struck me — and probably just because I spend way too much time thinking about the federal Conservative Party — was Ford’s victory speech. After thanking the opposition leaders by name, Ford talked about how his proudest achievement as PC party leader was expanding the party’s base, welcoming in people who hadn’t voted Tory before, and making people feel at home with the Progressive Conservatives.
I think this election campaign was proof positive of that, with Ford snapping up major endorsements from private-sector unions who fought tooth and nail against the Tories in previous campaigns. Will this be a lasting alliance, Colin, and if so, what does it mean for Ontario politics going forward?
Colin D’Mello: The day after winning a second landslide, Ford acknowledged that he’s a changed man. A political neophyte who learned how to be premier while on the job, and a partisan discovered the recipe to being a good politician.
No longer is he swatting away political flies. Now he’s luring them in with some sweet non-partisan honey. He’s also received some brilliant strategic guidance from experienced conservatives who knew how to give Ford broader appeal and dull his sharp edges.