2009 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election

Last updated

2009 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
Flag of Ontario.svg
←  2004 June 27, 2009 2015  →
  Tim Hudak 2014.jpg
FK
Candidate Tim Hudak Frank Klees
Riding Niagara West—Glanbrook Newmarket—Aurora
Final ballot5,606
(54.69%)		4,644
(45.31%)
First ballot3,511.87
(33.94%)		3,093.77
(29.90%)
  Christine Elliott Campaign Launch (cropped2).jpg Randy Hillier (cropped2).JPG
Candidate Christine Elliott Randy Hillier
Riding Whitby—Oshawa Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington
Final ballotEliminatedEliminated
First ballot2,728.66
(26.37%)		1,013.69
(9.80%)
2009 PC Leadership.png
Results by Ontario electoral district
Leader before election

Bob Runciman (interim)

Elected Leader

Tim Hudak

2009 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
DateJune 27, 2009
ConventionMarkham Conference Centre,
Markham, Ontario [1]
Resigning leader John Tory
Won by Tim Hudak
Ballots3
Candidates4
Entrance Fee$50,000
Spending limit$750,000
Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions 1920, 1936, 1938, 1949, 1961, 1971, 1985, 1990, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2015, 2018

On March 6, 2009, Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader John Tory announced his intention to step down as leader following his defeat in a by-election. Tory was elected party leader in the party's 2004 leadership election, and led the party to defeat in the 2007 provincial election in which he failed to win personal election to the Ontario Legislature. He attempted again to enter the legislature in a March 5, 2009 by-election but was defeated by the Liberal candidate.

Contents

The party's executive set June 27, 2009 as the date for the new leader to be announced over the objections of several MPPs who called for a September vote. Candidates were required to register as such by April 17; in order to be able to cast a ballot it was necessary for one to have been a member of the party by May 14. [2] Of the 25 members caucus, interim leader Bob Runciman remained neutral in the race and MPP Joyce Savoline did not endorse a candidate.

The party reported that it had over 40,000 members eligible to vote in the leadership contest as of the membership cut-off of May 15, up from 8,500 at the beginning of the leadership race. [3] Of the 43,000 members eligible to vote some 25,429 members cast a ballot. [4]

Registered candidates

Tim Hudak

Tim Hudak, MPP for Niagara West--Glanbrook Tim Hudak (cropped).jpg
Tim Hudak, MPP for Niagara West—Glanbrook

Tim Hudak, 41, was the MPP for Niagara West—Glanbrook and had sat in the provincial legislature since 1995. He was the party's finance critic and was seen to be on the right of the party. Some [5] [6] consider Hudak to be the "front runner". Including himself, Hudak had the backing of a majority of the 24 member caucus.

Christine Elliott

Christine Elliott, MPP for Whitby--Oshawa Christine Elliott Campaign Launch cropped.jpg
Christine Elliott, MPP for Whitby—Oshawa

Christine Elliott, 53, was MPP for Whitby—Oshawa, first winning the seat in a 2006 by-election, and wife of Jim Flaherty. [11] Elliott filed her nomination papers on March 31 and officially launched her campaign on April 3, 2009. [12]

Frank Klees

Frank Klees, 58, was the Chief Government Whip in the Harris government, and Minister of Tourism and of Transportation in the Eves government. He came in third place in the 2004 leadership election. [15] [16] Klees appeared on Reverend Charles McVety's television program on March 29 and said he would like to run. McVety endorsed Klees during the broadcast. Klees told CTV News that he decided to throw his hat into the ring "after very careful consideration.” [17]

Randy Hillier

Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark--Frontenac--Lennox and Addington Randy Hillier cropped.JPG
Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington

Randy Hillier, 50, was a rural activist and founder of the Ontario Landowners Association. He was first elected MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington in the 2007 provincial election. [20] Hillier says that as Premier he would abolish the Ontario Human Rights Commission, allow Ontario to elect its federal Senators and introduce a bill making membership in unions and professional associations voluntary. [21]

Voting results

Winning candidate in each riding (first ballot). Dark blue=Hudak, Light Blue=Klees, Green=Elliott, Red=Hillier, Grey=Tie. Ontariopc09.PNG
Winning candidate in each riding (first ballot). Dark blue=Hudak, Light Blue=Klees, Green=Elliott, Red=Hillier, Grey=Tie.
First Ballot
CandidateWeighted Votes
(sum of percentages in each riding)		Percentage
Tim Hudak3,511.87333.9
Frank Klees3,093.77029.9
Christine Elliott2,728.66426.4
Randy Hillier1,013.6949.8
Total10,348100

Movement: Hillier eliminated and endorses Hudak; prior to balloting Hillier asked his supporters to make Hudak their second choice.

Second Ballot
CandidateWeighted Votes
(sum of percentages in each riding)		Percentage+/-
Tim Hudak4,128.57039.95+6.0
Frank Klees3,299.80931.94+1.9
Christine Elliott2,903.62128.10+1.6
Total10,332100.0

Does not include votes that were spoiled because no second choice was indicated.

Movement: Elliott eliminated

Third Ballot
CandidateWeighted Votes
(sum of percentages in each riding)		Percentage+/-
Tim Hudak5,60654.25+14.3
Frank Klees4,64444.94+13.0
Total10,332100.0

Does not include votes that were spoiled because no second or third choice was indicated.

Potential candidates who did not enter

Process

The Ontario Progressive Conservatives use a system similar to that used by the federal Conservative Party of Canada in its leadership election. Each provincial riding association had up to 100 Electoral Votes that were allocated among the candidates by proportional representation according to the votes cast by party members within the riding. This was not a "one member one vote" system since each riding generally had equal weight. (Ridings with fewer than 100 voting party members were allocated one Electoral Vote per voting member; ridings with 100 or more voting party members were allocated 100 Electoral Votes.) Voting occurred on June 21 and 25 via a preferential ballot.

This system is designed to favour candidates who can win support across the province and win in a majority of ridings. This replicates what is necessary for a party to win a general election - though without the "first past the post" feature of elections under the Westminster system. Voters ranked their choices on a preferential ballot. In this system, if no candidate wins a majority of Electoral Votes on a ballot, then the last-place candidate is eliminated, and his/her votes are redistributed according to second-choice rankings.

There was an entry fee of $50,000 and spending limit of $750,000 but no fundraising limit; twenty per cent of the money raised by candidates was shared with the party. [49]

Other rules [50] required each candidate to have a nominator, a seconder, and 100 members who sign the nomination, no more than 10 of whom could live in the same riding. Candidates also had to make a $25,000 deposit, that was refundable. Furthermore, 20% of all donations over $5,000, with the exception of the first $75,000 raised, had to be given to the party; this money was exempted from the spending limit. Candidates had until Thursday, June 18, at noon to drop out of the race. Any candidate who failed to get 10% of the vote, along with the last-placed candidate, was dropped from balloting should no one candidate get a majority of votes on the first ballot. All ridings had one balloting location with the exception of the 12 largest ridings in the province.

Timeline

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario</span> Canadian provincial political party

The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, often shortened to the Ontario PC Party or simply the PCs, colloquially known as the Tories, is a centre to centre-right political party in Ontario, Canada.

On January 23, 2004, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leader Ernie Eves announced his intention to step down as leader before the fall of 2004. Eves was elected party leader in the party's 2002 leadership election, and became Premier of Ontario. He led the party to defeat in the 2003 provincial election.

Frank Klees is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. He was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 2014. He was a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elizabeth Witmer</span> Canadian politician

Elizabeth Witmer is a former Deputy Premier of Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 until 2012, representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reform Party of Ontario</span> Minor political party

The Reform Party of Ontario (RPO) (PRO; French: Parti Réformiste de l'Ontario) was a minor political party in Ontario, Canada. Until the 1999 provincial election, the party ran one candidate each election in order to keep the party's name in the possession of supporters of the Reform Party of Canada.

In the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, the leader of the Official Opposition is the leader of the largest political party not in government and typically the second-largest party. The position is referred more formally as the leader of His Majesty's Loyal Opposition ; under the Westminster system, while the parliamentary opposition opposes the incumbent government, it remains loyal to the Crown and thus to Canada.

Robert William "Bob" Runciman is a Canadian politician and former provincial Leader of the Opposition in the Ontario Legislature. First elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1981, he held the seat continuously for Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario for the next 29 years. On January 29, 2010, he was appointed to the Senate of Canada as a Conservative, where he served until August 10, 2017.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jim Wilson (Ontario politician)</span> Retired Canadian politician

Jim Wilson is a retired Canadian politician in Ontario, Canada. He served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario representing the riding of Simcoe—Grey, and its predecessor riding of Simcoe West, from 1990 to 2022. He sat as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario caucus from his first election until November 2, 2018, when he resigned from caucus due to allegations of sexual misconduct. While part of the PC caucus, Wilson was chosen by his fellow caucus members on July 2, 2014, to serve as interim leader of the party and Leader of the Opposition following the resignation of Tim Hudak. He continued to serve as Leader of the Opposition until September 2015 when new party leader, Patrick Brown, entered the legislature through a by-election. He was reelected in June 2018, but resigned from cabinet and the Progressive Conservative caucus on November 2, 2018. He sat as an independent member for the remainder of the 42nd Parliament of Ontario and did not seek re-election in the 2022 Ontario general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Hudak</span> Canadian politician

Timothy Patrick Hudak is a Canadian former politician who was the leader of the Ontario Progressive Conservative (PC) Party and from 2009 to 2014. Hudak was a member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) from 1995 to 2016, and was also the leader of the Opposition in Ontario when he was PC party leader. He served as a cabinet minister in the governments of Mike Harris and Ernie Eves. After resigning his seat in the Ontario legislature in September 2016, Hudak became the chief executive officer of the Ontario Real Estate Association (OREA), which has its headquarters in Toronto.

Ron Wayne Johnson is a Canadian political figure who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999, representing the division of Brantford as a Progressive Conservative.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Elliott</span> Canadian politician

Christine Janice Elliott, KC is a retired Canadian politician in Ontario who served as the 11th deputy premier of Ontario and the Ontario minister of health from 2018 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lisa MacLeod</span> Canadian politician (born 1974)

Lisa Anne MacLeod is a Canadian politician who represents Nepean in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. Elected in 2006, MacLeod is a member of the Progressive Conservative (PC) Party. She previously served as the Ontario minister of children, community and social services from 2018 to 2019 and Ontario minister of heritage, sport, tourism and culture industries from 2019 to 2022.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2011 Ontario general election</span>

The 2011 Ontario general election was held on October 6, 2011, to elect members of the 40th Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario Liberal Party was elected to a minority government, with the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario serving as the Official Opposition and the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) serving as the third party. In the final result, Premier McGuinty's party fell one seat short of winning a majority government.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">39th Parliament of Ontario</span>

The 39th Legislative Assembly of Ontario was a legislature of the government of the Province of Ontario, Canada. It officially opened November 29, 2007, and ended on June 1, 2011. The membership was set by the 2007 Ontario general election on October 10, 2007.

Jack MacLaren is a Canadian former politician who represented the eastern Ontario riding of Carleton—Mississippi Mills in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2011 to 2018. Originally elected as a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, he was removed from the party's legislative caucus in 2017 by party leader Patrick Brown after a video recording surfaced of him suggesting that the party would repeal Franco-Ontarian language rights in the province. MacLaren announced later that day that he had joined the Trillium Party of Ontario, becoming that party's first MPP.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2015 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election</span>

The 2015 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on May 9, 2015, as a result of the resignation of Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak following the provincial election on June 12, 2014, his second loss in a row as party leader. Patrick Brown won the leadership with 61.8% of votes allocated, defeating Christine Elliott who had 38.2%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election</span>

The 2018 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on March 10, 2018, due to the resignation of party leader Patrick Brown on January 25, 2018, following allegations of sexual misconduct. Winner Doug Ford narrowly defeated runner-up Christine Elliott on the third ballot with 50.6% of allocated points.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election</span>

The 2017 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election was held on May 27, 2017. Party members chose Andrew Scheer as leader, replacing Stephen Harper, who led the Conservative Party of Canada as its leader from 2004 following the merger of the Canadian Alliance and Progressive Conservative parties. Harper led the party through five federal elections: the party increased its seat count in the House of Commons in 2004, formed two minority governments in 2006, and 2008, and then a majority government in 2011. Following the defeat of the party in the 2015 federal election on October 19, Harper tendered his resignation as party leader. In a statement, Conservative Party President John Walsh said he had spoken to Harper, "and he has instructed me to reach out to the newly elected parliamentary caucus to appoint an interim Leader and to implement the leadership selection process."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sam Oosterhoff</span> Canadian politician (born 1997)

Samuel Earl Oosterhoff is a Canadian politician. Oosterhoff is currently the Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) for the riding of Niagara West. Oosterhoff is a member of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario and was first elected at the age of 19 in a November 2016 byelection, the youngest Ontario MPP to ever be elected. The previous record was held by Reid Scott who was elected as a Co-operative Commonwealth Federation MPP in 1948 at the age of 21.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Randy Hillier</span> Canadian politician

Randy Alexander Hillier is a Canadian politician who served as a member of provincial parliament (MPP) in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 2007-2022. Hillier represented the riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Kingston as an independent MPP from 2019 to 2022. This riding contains much of the dissolved riding of Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington, which he represented from 2007 to 2018. Hillier was initially elected as a Progressive Conservative (PC) Party MPP, remaining a member until he was removed in 2019. Despite announcing that he would run for election under the banner of the Ontario First Party in November 2021, Hillier announced in March 2022 that he would not seek re-election.

References

  1. ↑ "Hudak new Tory leader". Timmins Press. June 29, 2009. Retrieved February 10, 2016.[ permanent dead link ]
  2. ↑ Maria Babbage (March 22, 2009). "Ontario Tories to choose new leader in June". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  3. ↑ nurun.com (May 16, 2009). "PC party ranks swell". Toronto Sun. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  4. ↑ "Hudak is new Tory leader". thestar.com. June 27, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  5. 1 2 "Runciman named interim leader of Ontario PCs". Toronto.ctv.ca. March 20, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  6. ↑ "PC caucus members eye leadership runs". thestar.com. March 10, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  7. ↑ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  8. 1 2 3 Antonella Artuso (May 17, 2009). "Extreme Makeover: Tory Edition". Ottawa Sun. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  9. ↑ The Hill Times. "The Hill Times - Canada's Politics and Government Newsweekly". Thehilltimes.ca. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  10. 1 2 3 4 "2009 PCPO Leadership Contest". Elections.on.ca. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  11. 1 2 "'I did my best,' Tory says in stepping down as Ontario PC leader". Cbc.ca. March 6, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  12. ↑ Robert Benzie (April 1, 2009). "Christine Elliott enters Tory leadership race". thestar.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  13. ↑ Canada. "Elliott Returns To Northern Ontario For Leadership Debate". Thealgomanews.ca. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  14. ↑ Maria Babbage (April 1, 2009). "PC leadership could be a battle of the right-wingers: experts". thestar.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  15. ↑ "York Region Breaking News - York Region's Online Newspaper".
  16. 1 2 "John Tory loses bid for seat in byelection". thestar.com. March 5, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  17. ↑ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  18. ↑ National Post Story [ dead link ]
  19. ↑ "The Ontario PC Party - Home". Ontariopc.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  20. ↑ asteele (March 6, 2009). "The coronation of 'Mr. Hutton'". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  21. ↑ Story - Ottawa Citizen Archived April 1, 2009, at the Wayback Machine
  22. ↑ Story - Ottawa Citizen [ dead link ]
  23. ↑ "First Ballot Results – UPDATED | United and Strong". Unitedandstrong.ca. June 27, 2009. Archived from the original on July 6, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  24. ↑ "Arnott rules out run at Tory leadership". News.therecord.com. March 11, 2011. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  25. 1 2 3 Ontario's top Tory calls it quits after byelection loss [ dead link ]
  26. 1 2 The Canadian Press (March 6, 2009). "Tory steps aside". thestar.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  27. ↑ "Politicians weigh in on leadership changes". News.guelphmercury.com. March 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 12, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  28. 1 2 "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  29. 1 2 "Wilson, Dunlop likely to take a pass". Thebarrieexaminer.com. March 13, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  30. 1 2 3 4 "The Ontario PC Party - Home". Timhudak.ca. Archived from the original on May 4, 2009. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  31. ↑ Ontario's top Tory calls it quits after byelection loss [ dead link ]
  32. ↑ "Tories asked MP to run". Thepeterboroughexaminer.com. March 11, 2009. Archived from the original on May 5, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  33. 1 2 3 Campbell Clark (March 20, 2009). "PC family ties complicate Ontario leadership race". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  34. ↑ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  35. ↑ "Mississauga Breaking News - Mississauga's Online Newspaper".
  36. ↑ "This page is available to GlobePlus subscribers". Theglobeandmail.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  37. ↑ YourOttawaRegion Article: Truck blaze lights up the night sky [ dead link ]
  38. 1 2 3 "'I'm disappointed and I'm sad': John Tory". thestar.com. March 7, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  39. ↑ "Miller won't run for leadership". HuntsvilleForester.com. Retrieved April 22, 2011.
  40. ↑ http://thescugogstandard.ca/news/2009/March-09/March27-09/O%27Toole_declines-807.html [ dead link ]
  41. ↑ Gilligan, Keith (March 10, 2009). "Local Conservatives considering leadership run". newsdurhamregion.com. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  42. ↑ "Bob Runciman rules out bid for leadership". Recorder.ca. April 6, 2011. Archived from the original on April 18, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  43. 1 2 The Ontario PC Party - Home [ dead link ]
  44. ↑ "PC MPP Shurman says he won't run for leadership". Toronto.ctv.ca. March 10, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  45. ↑ "Van Loan mum on political ambition". Thebarrieexaminer.com. March 13, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  46. ↑ "Wilson won't rule out leadership bid". Simcoe.com. March 11, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  47. ↑ "Witmer not running for provincial Conservative leadership". Wellandtribune.ca. April 18, 2011. Archived from the original on April 24, 2016. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  48. ↑ "Local MPP says no to top job". Thedailyobserver.ca. March 25, 2009. Retrieved April 17, 2016.
  49. ↑ Rule 5.7.1, http://www.ontariopc.com/documents/2009%20final%20leadership%20rules%20-%20march%2022,%202009.pdf
  50. ↑ http://www.ontariopc.com/documents/2009%20final%20leadership%20rules%20-%20march%2022,%202009.pdf [ dead link ]
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.