1977 Ontario general election

The 1977 Ontario general election was held on June 9, 1977, to elect the 125 members of the 31st Legislative Assembly of Ontario.

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Premier Bill Davis, was re-elected for an eleventh consecutive term in office, again with a minority in the legislature. The PCs won an additional seven seats, but were not able to win a majority. The Liberal Party, led by Dr. Stuart Smith, lost one seat compared to its result in the previous election, but formed the Official Opposition because the NDP lost more seats. The New Democratic Party, led by Stephen Lewis, lost five seats, losing the status of Official Opposition to the Liberals.

Sheila Copps, future federal cabinet minister and Deputy Prime Minister of Canada, made her political debut in this election, finishing second in the riding of Hamilton Centre. This was the first election in which Jim Bradley, the second-longest serving MPP in Ontario history, was elected.

Renaming of ridings
A 1976 Act made changes to the names of two ridings:

Campaign
A number of unregistered parties also contested this election. The North American Labour Party, consisting of Lyndon LaRouche supporters, ran three candidates in Toronto and three elsewhere in the province. The Revolutionary Marxist Group and League for Socialist Action fielded one candidate apiece; soon after the election, both groups merged into the Revolutionary Workers League.

Some members of the Social Credit Party also ran in the election, although it is not clear if they were formally endorsed by the party.

Results
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Political party ! rowspan=2 | Party leader ! colspan=4 | MPPs ! colspan=4 | Votes ! Candidates !1975 !1977 !± !# ! ± !% ! ± (pp)


 * style="text-align:left;"|Bill Davis
 * 125 || 51  || 58  || 7  || 1,322,723  || 129,771  || 39.58% || 3.51


 * rowspan="2" style="text-align:left;"|Stuart Smith
 * 123 || 35  || 33  || 2 || 1,042,464  || 83,151 || 31.19% || 2.85


 * 2 || 1  || 1  ||   || 8,242  || 824 || 0.25% || 0.02


 * style="text-align:left;"|Stephen Lewis
 * 125 || 38  || 33  || 5 || 940,961  || 15,943 || 28.16% || 0.78


 * style="text-align:left;"|Paul Mollon
 * 31 || – || – || – || 9,961  || 5,524  || 0.30% || 0.17


 * style="text-align:left;"|William Stewart
 * 33 || – || – || – || 8,137  || 983 || 0.24% || 0.04


 * || 25 || – || – || – || 7,414  || 3,321  || 0.22% || 0.10


 * || 7 || – || – || – || 1,698  || 2,448 || 0.05% || 0.08

! colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total ! " colspan="2"|125 ! " colspan="2"|3,341,833 ! " colspan="2"| 100.00%
 * || 1 || – || – || – || 233  || 233  || 0.01% ||New
 * 472||125
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Rejected ballots
 * 19,600
 * 1,663
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Voter turnout
 * 3,361,433
 * 50,657
 * 65.60
 * 2.22
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Registered electors
 * 5,123,768
 * 620,626
 * colspan="2"|
 * }
 * 620,626
 * colspan="2"|
 * }

Synopsis of results

 * = open seat
 * = turnout is above provincial average
 * = winning candidate was in previous Legislature
 * = not incumbent; was previously elected to the Legislature
 * = incumbent had switched allegiance
 * = incumbency arose from byelection gain
 * = previously incumbent in another riding
 * = Liberal-Labour candidate
 * = other incumbents renominated
 * = multiple candidates

Seats changing hands
Eleven seats changed allegiance in this election:


 * PC to NDP
 * Hamilton Mountain


 * PC to Liberal
 * St. Catharines


 * Liberal to PC
 * Armourdale
 * London South
 * Wilson Heights


 * NDP to PC
 * Cochrane South
 * Durham East
 * Durham West
 * Fort William
 * Peterborough
 * Timiskaming

MPPs elected by region and riding
Party designations are as follows:

{{legend|#9999FF|PC}} {{legend|#EA6D6A|Liberal}} {{legend|#F4A460|NDP}} {{legend|#EEBBBB|Liberal-Labour}}


 * Northern Ontario
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Algoma: Bud Wildman}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Algoma—Manitoulin : John Lane}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Cochrane North: René Brunelle}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Cochrane South: Alan Pope}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Fort William: Mickey Hennessy}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Kenora: Leo Bernier}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Lake Nipigon: Jack Stokes}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Nickel Belt: Floyd Laughren}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Nipissing: Mike Bolan}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Port Arthur: Jim Foulds}}
 * {{legend|#EEBBBB|Rainy River: T. Patrick Reid}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Sault Ste. Marie: John Rhodes}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Sudbury: Bud Germa}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Sudbury East: Elie Martel}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Timiskaming: Ed Havrot}}


 * Ottawa Valley
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Carleton: Sid Handleman}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Carleton East: Evelyn Gigantes}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Lanark: Douglas Wiseman}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Ottawa Centre: Michael Cassidy}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Ottawa East: Albert Roy}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Ottawa South: Claude Bennett}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Ottawa West: Reuben Baetz}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Prescott and Russell: Joseph Albert Bélanger}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Renfrew North: Sean Conway}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Renfrew South: Paul Yakabuski}}


 * Saint Lawrence Valley
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Carleton—Grenville: Norm Sterling}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Cornwall: George Samis}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Kingston and the Islands: Keith Norton}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Leeds: James Auld}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry: Osie Villeneuve}}


 * Central Ontario
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Frontenac—Addington: J. Earl McEwen}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Hastings-Peterborough: Clarke Rollins}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Northumberland: Russell Rowe}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Peterborough: John Turner}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Prince Edward—Lennox: James A. Taylor}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Quinte: Hugh O'Neil}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Victoria—Haliburton: John Eakins}}


 * Georgian Bay
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Grey-Bruce: Eddie Sargent}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Muskoka: Frank Miller}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Parry Sound: Lorne Maeck}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Simcoe Centre: George Taylor}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Simcoe East: Gordon Elsworth Smith}}


 * Hamilton/Halton/Niagara
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Brock: Bob Welch}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Burlington South: George Kerr}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Erie: Ray Haggerty}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Halton—Burlington: Julian Reed}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Hamilton Centre: Mike Davison}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Hamilton East: Robert W. Mackenzie}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Hamilton Mountain: Brian Charlton}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Hamilton West: Stuart Smith}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Lincoln: Ross Hall}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Niagara Falls: Vince Kerrio}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Oakville: James Snow}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|St. Catharines: Jim Bradley}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Welland-Thorold: Mel Swart}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Wentworth: Ian Deans}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wentworth North: Eric Cunningham}}


 * Midwestern Ontario
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Brantford: Mac Makarchuk}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Brant—Oxford—Norfolk: Robert Nixon}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Cambridge: Monty Davidson}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Dufferin—Simcoe: George McCague}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Grey: Bob McKessock}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Haldimand-Norfolk: Gordon Miller}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Huron–Bruce: Jim Breithaupt}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Kitchener: Jim Breithaupt}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Kitchener—Wilmot: John Sweeney}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Oxford: Harry Craig Parrott}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Perth: Hugh Edighoffer}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Waterloo North: Herb Epp}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Wellington South: Harry Worton}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Wellington—Dufferin—Peel: Jack Johnson}}


 * Southwestern Ontario
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Chatham—Kent: Darcy McKeough}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Elgin: Ron McNeil}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Essex North: Dick Ruston}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Essex South: Remo Mancini}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Huron–Middlesex: Jack Riddell}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Kent—Elgin: Jim McGuigan}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Lambton: Lorne Henderson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|London Centre: David Peterson}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|London North: Ron Van Horne}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|London South: Gordon Walker}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Middlesex: Robert G. Eaton}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Sarnia: Paul Blundy}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Windsor—Riverside: Dave Cooke}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Windsor—Sandwich: Ted Bounsall}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|Windsor—Walkerville: Bernard Newman}}


 * Peel/York/Durham
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Brampton: Bill Davis}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Durham East: Sam Cureatz}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Durham West: George Ashe}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Durham—York: Bill Newman}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Mississauga East: Bud Gregory}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Mississauga North: Terry David Jones}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Mississauga South: Douglas Kennedy}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Oshawa: Michael Breaugh}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|York Centre: Alfred Stong}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|York North: William Hodgson}}


 * Metropolitan Toronto
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Armourdale: Bruce McCaffrey}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Beaches—Woodbine: Marion Bryden}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Bellwoods: Ross McClellan}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Don Mills: Dennis Timbrell}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Dovercourt: Tony Lupusella}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Downsview: Odoardo Di Santo}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Eglinton: Roy McMurtry}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Etobicoke: Ed Philip}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|High Park—Swansea: Ed Ziemba}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Humber: John MacBeth}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Lakeshore: Patrick Lawlor}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Oakwood: Tony Grande}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Oriole: John Williams}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Parkdale: Jan Dukszta}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Riverdale: Jim Renwick}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|St. Andrew—St. Patrick: Larry Grossman}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|St. David: Margaret Scrivener}}
 * {{legend|#EA6D6A|St. George: Margaret Campbell}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Scarborough Centre: Frank Drea}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Scarborough East: Margaret Birch}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Scarborough North: Thomas Wells}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Scarborough West: Stephen Lewis}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Scarborough—Ellesmere: David Warner}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|Wilson Heights: David Rotenberg}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|York East: Robert Elgie}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|York Mills: Bette Stephenson}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|York South: Donald C. MacDonald}}
 * {{legend|#9999FF|York West: Nick Leluk}}
 * {{legend|#F4A460|Yorkview: Fred Young}}