1995 Ontario general election

The 1995 Ontario general election was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada. The writs for the election were dropped on April 28, 1995.

The governing New Democratic Party, led by Premier Bob Rae, was defeated by voters, who were angry with the actions of the Rae government, such as its unpopular hiring quotas and the Social Contract legislation in 1993. These policies caused the NDP to lose much of its base in organized labour, further reducing support for the party. At the 1993 federal election, the NDP tumbled to less than seven percent support, and lost all 11 of its federal seats in Ontario. By the time the writs were dropped for the 1995 provincial election, it was obvious that the NDP would not be reelected.

Riding name change
Acts were passed in 1991 and 1993, providing for the following name changes to ridings:


 * Stormont, Dundas and Glengarry to S-D-G & East Grenville.
 * Grey to Grey—Owen Sound.
 * York North to York—Mackenzie.

Campaign
The Liberal Party under Lyn McLeod had been leading in the polls for most of the period from 1992 to 1995, and were generally favoured to benefit from the swing in support away from the NDP. However, the party hurt its credibility through a series of high-profile policy reversals in the period leading up to the election. The most notable of these occurred when McLeod withdrew Liberal support from the Equality Rights Statute Amendment Act (Bill 167) introduced by the NDP government in 1994, which would have provided same-sex couples with rights and obligations mostly equal to those of opposite-sex common law couples and introduced a form of civil unions. Her decision was seen as cynical and opportunistic in light of the Liberals' earlier rural by-election loss in the socially conservative riding of Victoria—Haliburton. This gave the McLeod Liberals a reputation for "flip-flopping" and inconsistency while offending its socially progressive supporters.

The Progressive Conservative Party, led by Mike Harris, found success with its Common Sense Revolution campaign to cut personal income taxes, social assistance (welfare) rates, and government spending dramatically. Roughly half of his party's seats came from the more affluent regions of the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), especially the suburban belt surrounding Metro Toronto, often called the '905' for its telephone area code.

In addition, by presenting himself as a populist, representing "ordinary Ontarians" over "special interests", Harris was able to build Tory support among working-class voters. Although there were regional variations, many working-class voters shifted directly from the NDP to the Tories during the election, enabling the latter to win formerly NDP ridings such as Cambridge and Oshawa.

The televised party leaders' debate is often regarded as the turning point of the campaign. During the event, McLeod further alienated many voters with an overly aggressive performance. Harris used his time to speak directly to the camera to convey his party's Common Sense Revolution platform, virtually ignoring all questions asked of him by Rae and McLeod and avoiding getting caught up in their debate. Since Liberal support was regarded by many political insiders as soft and unsteady, many voters who were previously leaning to the Liberals shifted to the Progressive Conservatives after the debate.

Summary
The Progressive Conservatives won a majority while the Liberals finished with less support than they had in the 1990 election. The NDP, despite improving their standing in some Northern Ontario ridings, were heavily defeated, falling to 17 seats and third party status. The New Democrats would remain the third party until 2018 when they returned to Official Opposition status. McLeod and Rae resigned their party leadership posts not long after the campaign. It was also the worst result for an incumbent Ontario governing party up to that time and would remain so until 2018 when the NDP finally surpassed the then-governing Liberals.

One independent candidate was elected: Peter North in the riding of Elgin. North had been elected in 1990 as a New Democrat, but left the NDP and declared his intention to run as a Progressive Conservative. The PC Party did not accept him as a candidate, however.

At least five unregistered parties fielded candidates in this election, appearing on the ballot as independents:


 * The Reform Association of Ontario ran fifteen candidates. Their leader was Kimble Ainslie. An article of The Globe and Mail for August 19, 1995 indicates that the party won 6,400 votes.
 * John Steele campaigned as a candidate of the Communist League.
 * The Ontario Renewal Party ran a number of candidates under the leadership of Diane Johnston. This was the Marxist–Leninist party under a different name.
 * Amani Oakley and Joe Flexer ran as "Independent Labour" candidates in Toronto with the support of dissident or former members of the Ontario New Democratic Party and with the support of OPSEU in the case of Oakley and the Canadian Auto Workers in the case of Flexer.
 * John Turmel's Abolitionist Party ran at least two candidates.

Overall
! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Political party ! rowspan=2 | Party leader ! colspan=4 | MPPs ! colspan=4 | Votes ! Candidates !1990 !1995 !± !# ! ± !% ! ± (pp)


 * style="text-align:left;"|Mike Harris
 * 130 || 20  || 82  || 62  || 1,870,110  || 925,546  || 44.97% || 21.46


 * style="text-align:left;"|Lyn McLeod
 * 130 || 36  || 30  || 6 || 1,291,326  || 10,808 || 31.05% || 1.35


 * style="text-align:left;"|Bob Rae
 * 130 || 74  || 17  || 57 || 854,163  || 655,343 || 20.54% || 17.03


 * || 60 || – || 1  || 1  || 33,077  || 19,770  || 0.80% || 0.46


 * style="text-align:left;"|Donald Pennell
 * 55 || – || – || – || 61,657  || 49,174 || 1.48% || 1.28


 * style="text-align:left;"|Ron Parker
 * 68 || – || – || – || 18,326  || 18,326  || 0.44% ||New


 * style="text-align:left;"|Frank de Jong
 * 37 || – || – || – || 14,108  || 15,989 || 0.34% || 0.41


 * style="text-align:left;"|John Shadbolt
 * 18 || – || – || – || 6,085  ||(18,528 || 0.15% || 0.47


 * style="text-align:left;"|Jack Plant
 * 12 || – || – || – || 4,532  || 1,483 || 0.11% || 0.04


 * style="text-align:left;"|
 * 6 || – || – || – || 3,971  || 71,902 || 0.10% || 1.79

! colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total ! " colspan="2"|130 ! " colspan="2"|4,158,370 ! " colspan="2"| 100.00%
 * style="text-align:left;"|Darrell Rankin
 * 5 || – || – || – || 1,015  || 124 || 0.02% || –
 * 651||130
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Rejected ballots
 * 42,152
 * 10,423
 * colspan="2"|
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Voter turnout
 * 4,200,522
 * 129,868
 * 63.00
 * 1.45
 * colspan="7" style="text-align:left;" | Registered electors
 * 6,667,798
 * 351,849
 * colspan="2"|
 * }
 * 351,849
 * 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
 * = other incumbents renominated
 * = previously an MP in the House of Commons of Canada
 * = multiple candidates

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

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

{{legend|#F4A460| Algoma: Bud Wildman}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Algoma—Manitoulin: Mike Brown}} {{legend|#F4A460| Cochrane North: Len Wood}} {{legend|#F4A460| Cochrane South: Gilles Bisson}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Fort William: Lyn McLeod}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Kenora: Frank Miclash}} {{legend|#F4A460| Lake Nipigon: Gilles Pouliot}} {{legend|#F4A460| Nickel Belt: Floyd Laughren}} {{legend|#9999FF| Nipissing: Mike Harris}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Port Arthur: Michael Gravelle}} {{legend|#F4A460| Rainy River: Howard Hampton}} {{legend|#F4A460| Sault Ste. Marie: Tony Martin}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Sudbury: Rick Bartolucci}} {{legend|#F4A460| Sudbury East: Shelley Martel}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Timiskaming: David Ramsay}}
 * Northern Ontario

{{legend|#9999FF| Carleton: Norm Sterling}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Carleton East: Gilles Morin}} {{legend|#9999FF| Lanark—Renfrew: Leo Jordan}} {{legend|#9999FF| Nepean: John Baird}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Ottawa Centre: Richard Patten}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Ottawa East: Bernard Grandmaître}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Ottawa South: Dalton McGuinty}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Ottawa West: Bob Chiarelli}} {{legend|#9999FF| Ottawa—Rideau: Garry Guzzo}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Prescott and Russell: Jean-Marc Lalonde}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Renfrew North: Sean Conway}}
 * Ottawa Valley

{{legend|#EA6D6A| Cornwall: John Cleary}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Kingston and the Islands: John Gerretsen}} {{legend|#9999FF| Leeds—Grenville: Bob Runciman}} {{legend|#9999FF| S-D-G & East Grenville: Noble Villeneuve}}
 * Saint Lawrence Valley

{{legend|#9999FF| Frontenac—Addington: Bill Vankoughnet}} {{legend|#9999FF| Hastings—Peterborough: Harry Danford}} {{legend|#9999FF| Northumberland: Doug Galt}} {{legend|#9999FF| Peterborough: Gary Stewart}} {{legend|#9999FF| Prince Edward—Lennox—South Hastings:Gary Fox}} {{legend|#9999FF| Quinte: Doug Rollins}} {{legend|#9999FF| Victoria—Haliburton: Chris Hodgson}}
 * Central Ontario

{{legend|#9999FF| Bruce: Barb Fisher}} {{legend|#9999FF| Grey—Owen Sound: Bill Murdoch}} {{legend|#9999FF| Muskoka—Georgian Bay: Bill Grimmett}} {{legend|#9999FF| Parry Sound: Ernie Eves}} {{legend|#9999FF| Simcoe Centre: Joe Tascona}} {{legend|#9999FF| Simcoe East: Al McLean}} {{legend|#9999FF| Simcoe West: Jim Wilson}}
 * Georgian Bay

{{legend|#9999FF| Burlington South: Cam Jackson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Halton Centre: Terence Young}} {{legend|#9999FF| Halton North: Ted Chudleigh}} {{legend|#F4A460| Hamilton Centre: David Christopherson}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Hamilton East: Dominic Agostino}} {{legend|#9999FF| Hamilton Mountain: Trevor Pettit}} {{legend|#9999FF| Hamilton West: Lillian Ross}} {{legend|#9999FF| Lincoln: Frank Sheehan}} {{legend|#9999FF| Niagara Falls: Bart Maves}} {{legend|#9999FF| Niagara South: Tim Hudak}} {{legend|#9999FF| Oakville South: Gary Carr}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| St. Catharines: Jim Bradley}} {{legend|#9999FF| St. Catharines—Brock: Tom Froese}} {{legend|#F4A460| Welland—Thorold: Peter Kormos}} {{legend|#9999FF| Wentworth East: Ed Doyle}} {{legend|#9999FF| Wentworth North: Toni Skarica}}
 * Hamilton/Halton/Niagara

{{legend|#9999FF| Brant—Haldimand: Peter Preston}} {{legend|#9999FF| Brantford: Ron Johnson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Cambridge: Gerry Martiniuk}} {{legend|#9999FF| Dufferin—Peel: David Tilson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Guelph: Brenda Elliott}} {{legend|#9999FF| Huron: Helen Johns}} {{legend|#9999FF| Kitchener: Wayne Wettlaufer}} {{legend|#9999FF| Kitchener—Wilmot: Gary Leadston}} {{legend|#9999FF| Norfolk: Toby Barrett}} {{legend|#9999FF| Oxford: Ernie Hardeman}} {{legend|#9999FF| Perth: Bert Johnson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Waterloo North: Elizabeth Witmer}} {{legend|#9999FF| Wellington: Ted Arnott}}
 * Midwestern Ontario

{{legend|#9999FF| Chatham—Kent: Jack Carroll}} {{legend|#DCDCDC| Elgin: Peter North}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Essex South: Bruce Crozier}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Essex—Kent: Pat Hoy}} {{legend|#9999FF| Lambton: Marcel Beaubien}} {{legend|#F4A460| London Centre: Marion Boyd}} {{legend|#9999FF| London North: Dianne Cunningham}} {{legend|#9999FF| London South: Bob Wood}} {{legend|#9999FF| Middlesex: Bruce Smith}} {{legend|#9999FF| Sarnia: Dave Boushy}} {{legend|#F4A460| Windsor—Riverside: Dave Cooke}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Windsor—Sandwich: Sandra Pupatello}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Windsor—Walkerville: Dwight Duncan}}
 * Southwestern Ontario

{{legend|#9999FF| Brampton North: Joe Spina}} {{legend|#9999FF| Brampton South: Tony Clement}} {{legend|#9999FF| Durham Centre: Jim Flaherty}} {{legend|#9999FF| Durham East:John O'Toole}} {{legend|#9999FF| Durham West: Janet Ecker}} {{legend|#9999FF| Durham—York: Julia Munro}} {{legend|#9999FF| Markham: David Tsubouchi}} {{legend|#9999FF| Mississauga East: Carl DeFaria}} {{legend|#9999FF| Mississauga North: John Snobelen}} {{legend|#9999FF| Mississauga South: Margaret Marland}} {{legend|#9999FF| Mississauga West: Rob Sampson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Oshawa:Jerry Ouellette}} {{legend|#9999FF| York Centre: Al Palladini}} {{legend|#9999FF| York—Mackenzie: Frank Klees}}
 * Peel/York/Durham

{{legend|#F4A460| Beaches—Woodbine: Frances Lankin}} {{legend|#9999FF| Don Mills: David Johnson}} {{legend|#F4A460| Dovercourt: Tony Silipo}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Downsview: Annamarie Castrilli}} {{legend|#9999FF| Eglinton: Bill Saunderson}} {{legend|#9999FF| Etobicoke West: Chris Stockwell}} {{legend|#9999FF| Etobicoke—Humber: Doug Ford, Sr.}} {{legend|#9999FF| Etobicoke—Lakeshore: Morley Kells}} {{legend|#9999FF| Etobicoke—Rexdale: John Hastings}} {{legend|#F4A460| Fort York: Rosario Marchese}} {{legend|#9999FF| High Park—Swansea: Derwyn Shea}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Lawrence: Joseph Cordiano}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Oakwood: Mike Colle}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Oriole: Elinor Caplan}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Parkdale: Tony Ruprecht}} {{legend|#F4A460| Riverdale: Marilyn Churley}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Scarborough—Agincourt: Gerry Phillips}} {{legend|#9999FF| Scarborough Centre: Dan Newman}} {{legend|#9999FF| Scarborough East: Steve Gilchrist}} {{legend|#9999FF| Scarborough—Ellesmere: Marilyn Mushinski}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Scarborough North: Alvin Curling}} {{legend|#9999FF| Scarborough West: Jim Brown}} {{legend|#9999FF| St. Andrew—St. Patrick: Isabel Bassett}} {{legend|#9999FF| St. George—St. David: Al Leach}} {{legend|#9999FF| Willowdale: Charles Harnick}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Wilson Heights: Monte Kwinter}} {{legend|#9999FF| York East: John Parker}} {{legend|#9999FF| York Mills: David Turnbull}} {{legend|#F4A460| York South: Bob Rae}} {{legend|#EA6D6A| Yorkview: Mario Sergio}}
 * Metropolitan Toronto

Byelections
Due to resignations, five by-elections were held between the 1995 and 1999 elections.

May 23, 1996 7,774 5,093 6,656 151 George Dance (Lbt) 77 Kevin Clarke (Ind) 70 resigned February 29, 1996 September 4, 1997 9,954 5,163 1,700 132 Shelly Lipsey (G) 96 resigned May 5, 1997 September 4, 1997 11,438 7,217 2,573 201 Gene Villeneuve (G) 96 resigned May 5, 1997 September 4, 1997 8,494 3,028 9,308 329 resigned May 5, 1997 October 1, 1998 4,173 3,836 5,537 resigned February 28, 1998
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|York South
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|York South
 * Gerard Kennedy
 * Gerard Kennedy
 * Rob Davis
 * Rob Davis
 * David Miller
 * David Miller
 * David Milne (Ind)
 * David Milne (Ind)
 * Bob Rae
 * Bob Rae
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Oriole
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Oriole
 * David Caplan
 * David Caplan
 * Barbara Greene
 * Barbara Greene
 * Jim Kafieh
 * Jim Kafieh
 * Bernadette Michael (Ind)
 * Bernadette Michael (Ind)
 * Elinor Caplan
 * Elinor Caplan
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Ottawa West
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Ottawa West
 * Alex Cullen
 * Alex Cullen
 * Chris Thompson
 * Chris Thompson
 * Katrina Prystupa
 * Katrina Prystupa
 * John Turmel (Ind)
 * John Turmel (Ind)
 * Bob Chiarelli
 * Bob Chiarelli
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Windsor—Riverside
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Windsor—Riverside
 * Gary McNamara
 * Gary McNamara
 * Fran Funero
 * Fran Funero
 * Wayne Lessard
 * Wayne Lessard
 * Steve Harvey (G)
 * Steve Harvey (G)
 * Dave Cooke
 * Dave Cooke
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Nickel Belt
 * style="background:whitesmoke;"|Nickel Belt
 * Frank Madigan
 * Frank Madigan
 * Gerry Courtemanche
 * Gerry Courtemanche
 * Blain Morin
 * Blain Morin
 * Floyd Laughren
 * Floyd Laughren
 * Floyd Laughren
 * Floyd Laughren
 * }