1985 Ontario general election

1985 Ontario general election
← 1981 May 2, 1985 1987 →
125 seats in the 33rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario
63 seats needed for a majority
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Frank Miller David Peterson Bob Rae
Party Progressive Conservative Liberal New Democratic
Leader since January 26, 1985 February 21, 1982 February 7, 1982
Leader's seat Muskoka London Centre York South
Last election 70 34 21
Seats won 52 48 25
Seat change Decrease18 Increase14 Increase4
Popular vote 1,349,168 1,377,965 857,743
Percentage 37.1% 37.9% 23.6%
Swing Decrease7.3pp Increase5.2pp Increase2.4pp
Premier before election

Frank Miller
Progressive Conservative

Premier after election

Frank Miller[a]
Progressive Conservative

Diagram of the 1985 election results in the Provincial Legislature

The 1985 Ontario general election was held on May 2, 1985, to elect the members of the 33rd Legislative Assembly of Ontario, Canada. The Progressive Conservatives won a plurality, but came up short of a majority.

Shortly afterward, the 42 years of PC governance in Ontario came to an end by a confidence vote defeating Premier Frank Miller's minority government. David Peterson's Liberals then formed a minority government with the support of Bob Rae's New Democratic Party.

Prelude

Around Thanksgiving in 1984, Ontario Premier Bill Davis announced that he would be stepping down from his longtime post and as leader of the Ontario PCs in early 1985. In office since 1971, he had a string of electoral victories by pursuing a moderate agenda and by relying on the skill of the Big Blue Machine team of advisors. Davis, who remained generally popular throughout his term in office, would unveil a surprise legacy project: full funding for Ontario's separate Catholic school system, which would become known as Bill 30. That decision was supported by both other parties but was generally unpopular, especially in the PC base.

The subsequent leadership race saw the party divide into two rough camps. The moderate and mainly-urban wing was represented by the second-place finisher, Larry Grossman. The more conservative rural faction backed the eventual victor, Frank Miller. After Miller's victory at the convention, the party's factions failed to reconcile, which was especially important since many moderate members of the Big Blue Machine were pushed aside.

Election

Despite those problems, the PCs remained far ahead in the polls, and when Miller called an election just six weeks after becoming premier, he was about 20% ahead of the Liberals. Over the campaign, however, the PC lead began to shrink as the Liberals waged a highly effective campaign. During the campaign, the separate schools question re-emerged when the Anglican prelate of Toronto, Archbishop Lewis Garnsworthy, held a news conference on the issue in which he compared Davis' methods in pushing through the reform to Adolf Hitler, saying: "This is how Hitler changed education in Germany, by exactly the same process, by decree. I won't take that back."[1] Garnsworthy was much criticized for his remarks, but the issue was revived, which alienated the PC base, some of whom chose to stay home on election day.

The election held May 2, 1985, ended in a stalemate. The PCs emerged with a much-reduced caucus of 52 seats. The Liberals won 48 seats but won slightly more of the popular vote. The NDP held the balance of power, with 25 seats. Despite taking 14 seats from the PCs, the Liberals were somewhat disappointed, as they felt that they had their first realistic chance of winning government in recent memory. The NDP was also disappointed by the election result, as the party had been nearly tied with the Liberals for popular support for several years and had hoped to surpass them.

Aftermath

The incumbent PCs intended to remain in power with a minority government, as they had done on two occasions under Davis' leadership. Rae and the NDP had little interest in supporting a continuation of PC rule, while the Liberals were also more amenable to a partnership compared to in the 1970's. Among other things, the Liberals repeatedly pointed out that (again, unlike in the previous decade) their party had won the popular vote and therefore, in their view, had at least as much of a right to govern the province as the Conservatives. The NDP began negotiations on May 13 to reach an agreement with the Liberals. Rae and Peterson signed an accord on May 29[2] that would see a number of NDP priorities put into law in exchange for an NDP motion of non-confidence in Miller's government and the NDP's support of the Liberals. The NDP agreed to support a Liberal minority government for two years during which the Liberals agreed not to call an election.

Miller, apprised of negotiations, considered a plan to address the province on television two days before the throne speech, disown funding for Catholic schools, and announce he was meeting with the Lieutenant Governor to request an election before a confidence vote could take place.[3] Believing that the Lieutenant Governor would have to call an election if requested before the confidence vote, Miller refused to do so since he believed the party's finances to be too fragile for a second campaign and that repudiating a key Davis policy would tear the party apart.[4]

In what was by then a foregone conclusion, on June 18, 1985 the PC government was defeated by the passage of a motion of no confidence introduced by Rae. Lieutenant-Governor John Black Aird then asked Peterson to form a government. Privately, Aird's actions suited Miller since even without party infighting and finances to consider, the PC's internal polling had by then clearly indicated the voters did not want another election and that even if the Lieutenant-Governor could have been convinced to call one, the Liberals would have been likely to win in a landslide. The actions of Aird, who was appointed by former Liberal Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, therefore allowed Miller to portray his relinquishing of the premiership as a grudging acquiescence that he was forced to undertake by a representative of the sovereign, who the PCs would subsequently claim had breached constitutional convention and inappropriately engaged in partisanship to elevate the second-place party to government. In any case, Miller resigned on June 26 and Peterson's minority government was sworn in on the same day.

Opinion polls

During campaign period

Evolution of voting intentions at provincial level
Polling firm Last day
of survey 		Source PCO OLP ONDP Other ME Sample
Election 1985 May 2, 1985 37.9 37.1 23.6 1.4
Environics April 19, 1985 [5] 41 33 26 — — 1,015
April 1985 [6] 43 35 21 — — —
April 1985 [6] 47 32 21 — — —
Election called (March 25, 1985)[7]

During the 32nd Parliament of Ontario

Evolution of voting intentions at provincial level
Polling firm Last day
of survey 		Source PCO OLP ONDP Other ME Sample
Gallup March 1985 [8] 50.5 28.8 20.3 — — —
Decima February 1985 [9] 55 21 21 — — —
CROP Inc June 1984 [10] 50 — — — — —
Gallup June 1983 [11] 51.9 30 17.6 — 4 1,038
Election 1981 March 19, 1981 44.38 33.48 21.14 1

Results

Elections to the 33rd Parliament of Ontario (1985)[12]
Political party Party leader MPPs Votes
Candidates 1981 1985 ± # ± % ± (pp)
Progressive Conservative Frank Miller 125 70 52 18Decrease 1,343,044 69,444Decrease 36.94% 7.44Decrease
Liberal[a 1] David Peterson 125 34 48 14Increase 1,377,965 305,285Increase 37.90% 4.20Increase
New Democratic Bob Rae 125 21 25 4Increase 865,507 192,683Increase 23.81% 2.67Increase
Independent 28 – – – 25,728 15,143Increase 0.71% 0.38Increase
Libertarian Scott Bell 17 – – – 12,831 5,744Increase 0.35% 0.13Increase
Green 9 – – – 5,345 5,345Increase 0.15% New
Communist Gordon Massie 10 – – – 3,696 1,610Decrease 0.10% 0.07Decrease
Freedom[a 2] none[a 3] 3 – – – 1,583 1,123Increase 0.04% 0.03Increase
Total 442 125 125 3,635,699 100.00%
Rejected ballots 26,434 5,637Increase
Voter turnout 3,662,133 458,852Increase 61.55 3.51Increase
Registered electors 5,950,295 431,091Increase
  1. ^ 1981 results include Liberal-Labour
  2. ^ previously known as the Unparty
  3. ^ Robert Metz was the President
Seats and popular vote by party
Party Seats Votes Change (pp)
█ Progressive Conservative
52 / 125
36.94%
 -7.44
 
█ Liberal
48 / 125
37.90%
 4.20 4.2
 
█ New Democratic
25 / 125
23.81%
 2.67 2.67
 
█ Independent
0 / 125
0.71%
 0.38 0.38
 
█ Other
0 / 125
0.64%
 0.19 0.19
 

Synopsis of results

Results by riding – 1985 Ontario general election[12]
Riding Winning party Turnout
[a 1] 		Votes
Name[a 2] 1981 Party Votes Share Margin
# 		Margin
% 		Lib PC NDP Ind Other Total
 
Algoma NDP NDP 7,575 53.11% 3,881 27.21% 70.64% 2,995 3,694 7,575 – – 14,264
Algoma—Manitoulin PC PC 7,174 47.24% 2,470 16.26% 55.49% 4,704 7,174 3,309 – – 15,187
Brampton PC Lib 25,656 45.62% 4,417 7.85% 55.84% 25,656 21,239 8,313 500 531 56,239
Brantford PC PC 13,444 41.65% 1,141 3.53% 64.87% 6,533 13,444 12,303 – – 32,280
Brant—Oxford—Norfolk Lib Lib 15,317 62.21% 9,500 38.58% 60.36% 15,317 5,817 3,487 – – 24,621
Brock PC PC 9,741 41.55% 660 2.82% 63.11% 9,081 9,741 3,867 – 755 23,444
Burlington South PC PC 16,479 42.12% 4,657 11.90% 63.04% 11,822 16,479 10,820 – – 39,121
Cambridge PC PC 12,888 40.33% 903 2.83% 60.19% 7,083 12,888 11,985 – – 31,956
Carleton PC PC 17,732 44.34% 2,639 6.60% 57.85% 15,093 17,732 7,165 – – 39,990
Carleton East PC Lib 23,221 48.14% 7,033 14.58% 57.59% 23,221 16,188 8,829 – – 48,238
Carleton-Grenville PC PC 15,524 57.47% 7,505 27.78% 56.54% 8,019 15,524 3,468 – – 27,011
Chatham—Kent PC Lib 10,340 41.23% 1,134 4.52% 58.84% 10,340 9,206 5,535 – – 25,081
Cochrane North PC Lib 8,793 47.39% 1,910 10.29% 68.78% 8,793 6,883 2,878 – – 18,554
Cochrane South PC PC 13,935 59.05% 8,273 35.06% 62.63% 4,002 13,935 5,662 – – 23,599
Cornwall NDP PC 9,430 43.57% 3,046 14.07% 59.41% 6,384 9,430 5,828 – – 21,642
Dufferin—Simcoe PC PC 16,198 50.09% 4,376 13.53% 57.94% 11,822 16,198 4,316 – – 32,336
Durham East PC PC 15,193 46.59% 5,361 16.44% 58.14% 7,584 15,193 9,832 – – 32,609
Durham West PC PC 18,684 44.03% 4,336 10.22% 56.38% 14,348 18,684 8,495 – 911 42,438
Durham—York PC PC 14,343 48.55% 4,583 15.51% 58.83% 9,760 14,343 5,440 – – 29,543
Elgin PC PC 11,816 45.29% 3,197 12.25% 62.09% 8,619 11,816 5,315 342 – 26,092
Erie Lib Lib 10,926 54.57% 5,022 25.08% 60.91% 10,926 5,904 3,191 – – 20,021
Essex North Lib NDP 7,901 33.56% 1,286 5.46% 61.39% 6,615 6,105 7,901 2,925 – 23,546
Essex South Lib Lib 11,382 47.22% 6,284 26.07% 61.08% 11,382 5,098 2,677 4,947 – 24,104
Fort William PC PC 14,452 54.66% 7,381 27.91% 63.83% 4,629 14,452 7,071 – 289 26,441
Frontenac—Addington Lib Lib 11,684 45.56% 2,387 9.31% 61.14% 11,684 9,297 3,723 941 – 25,645
Grey Lib Lib 16,061 65.17% 10,186 41.33% 63.49% 16,061 5,875 2,402 – 306 24,644
Grey—Bruce Lib Lib 14,883 59.97% 7,288 29.37% 65.85% 14,883 7,595 2,340 – – 24,818
Haldimand—Norfolk Lib Lib 17,456 56.06% 7,593 24.38% 66.48% 17,456 9,863 3,821 – – 31,140
Halton—Burlington Lib Lib 14,991 42.46% 214 0.61% 58.95% 14,991 14,777 4,871 665 – 35,304
Hamilton Centre Lib Lib 9,184 44.01% 384 1.84% 56.85% 9,184 2,883 8,800 – – 20,867
Hamilton East NDP NDP 13,774 43.80% 1,600 5.09% 61.03% 12,174 5,268 13,774 – 234 31,450
Hamilton Mountain NDP NDP 13,871 44.24% 4,142 13.21% 69.28% 7,757 9,729 13,871 – – 31,357
Hamilton West Lib NDP 10,182 37.42% 450 1.65% 61.95% 9,732 6,705 10,182 593 – 27,212
Hastings—Peterborough PC PC 12,272 54.91% 6,686 29.91% 60.30% 5,586 12,272 4,492 – – 22,350
Huron—Bruce Lib Lib 17,159 61.94% 8,609 31.08% 71.72% 17,159 8,550 1,992 – – 27,701
Huron—Middlesex Lib Lib 13,820 61.21% 6,439 28.52% 70.71% 13,820 7,381 1,148 229 – 22,578
Kenora PC PC 12,574 66.69% 8,549 45.35% 60.95% 2,254 12,574 4,025 – – 18,853
Kent—Elgin Lib Lib 11,616 54.36% 3,778 17.68% 62.81% 11,616 7,838 1,916 – – 21,370
Kingston and the Islands PC Lib 11,924 46.33% 2,287 8.89% 56.36% 11,924 9,637 3,892 – 285 25,738
Kitchener Lib Lib 14,066 46.86% 4,382 14.60% 58.60% 14,066 9,684 5,654 610 – 30,014
Kitchener—Wilmot Lib Lib 15,987 54.38% 7,250 24.66% 55.24% 15,987 8,737 4,673 – – 29,397
Lake Nipigon NDP NDP 5,708 41.70% 1,176 8.59% 64.45% 3,448 4,532 5,708 – – 13,688
Lambton PC Lib 10,816 47.52% 860 3.78% 67.64% 10,816 9,956 1,987 – – 22,759
Lanark PC PC 10,916 56.39% 5,770 29.81% 56.28% 5,146 10,916 3,297 – – 19,359
Leeds PC PC 11,809 51.61% 5,061 22.12% 58.76% 6,748 11,809 3,583 741 – 22,881
Lincoln PC PC 12,226 49.84% 3,222 13.13% 67.82% 9,004 12,226 2,264 1,036 – 24,530
London Centre Lib Lib 13,890 54.80% 7,176 28.31% 52.81% 13,890 6,714 4,340 – 403 25,347
London North Lib Lib 20,536 54.43% 9,103 24.13% 60.14% 20,536 11,433 5,191 – 566 37,726
London South PC Lib 24,522 51.03% 6,683 13.91% 62.91% 24,522 17,839 5,080 – 614 48,055
Middlesex PC Lib 11,292 47.16% 810 3.38% 68.03% 11,292 10,482 2,169 – – 23,943
Mississauga East PC PC 14,900 37.96% 2,566 6.54% 57.52% 12,334 14,900 12,015 – – 39,249
Mississauga North PC Lib 21,369 41.69% 1,424 2.78% 54.54% 21,369 19,945 9,943 – – 51,257
Mississauga South PC PC 13,186 44.58% 1,563 5.28% 59.94% 11,623 13,186 4,770 – – 29,579
Muskoka PC PC 12,723 68.42% 9,687 52.09% 67.82% 3,036 12,723 2,836 – – 18,595
Niagara Falls Lib Lib 14,658 48.78% 6,042 20.11% 61.03% 14,658 8,616 6,778 – – 30,052
Nickel Belt NDP NDP 8,912 52.37% 3,063 18.00% 70.39% 2,255 5,849 8,912 – – 17,016
Nipissing PC PC 14,900 49.86% 3,898 13.04% 64.66% 11,002 14,900 3,984 – – 29,886
Northumberland PC PC 14,296 47.67% 1,850 6.17% 63.87% 12,446 14,296 3,247 – – 29,989
Oakville PC PC 14,265 41.66% 687 2.01% 64.06% 13,578 14,265 4,390 – 2,008 34,241
Oshawa NDP NDP 12,686 50.25% 5,158 20.43% 54.71% 5,034 7,528 12,686 – – 25,248
Ottawa Centre NDP NDP 11,890 43.45% 3,885 14.20% 59.18% 7,103 8,005 11,890 364 – 27,362
Ottawa East Lib Lib 14,601 68.40% 10,630 49.80% 49.15% 14,601 2,257 3,971 518 – 21,347
Ottawa South PC PC 12,971 39.41% 1,337 4.06% 63.63% 11,634 12,971 8,311 – – 32,916
Ottawa West PC PC 15,089 46.63% 2,948 9.11% 59.43% 12,141 15,089 4,427 – 701 32,358
Oxford PC PC 15,507 46.81% 4,851 14.64% 60.71% 10,656 15,507 5,660 577 729 33,129
Parry Sound PC PC 10,904 50.53% 1,360 6.30% 69.58% 9,544 10,904 1,130 – – 21,578
Perth Lib Lib 20,040 69.31% 13,964 48.30% 62.24% 20,040 6,076 2,796 – – 28,912
Peterborough PC PC 16,878 43.03% 4,937 12.59% 60.25% 9,734 16,878 11,941 – 673 39,226
Port Arthur NDP NDP 13,084 44.99% 3,258 11.20% 63.06% 6,169 9,826 13,084 – – 29,079
Prescott and Russell Lib Lib 18,833 57.95% 7,795 23.99% 60.34% 18,833 11,038 2,625 – – 32,496
Prince Edward—Lennox PC PC 10,170 52.44% 3,252 16.77% 57.55% 6,918 10,170 2,307 – – 19,395
Quinte Lib Lib 18,988 63.10% 9,701 32.24% 60.73% 18,988 9,287 1,817 – – 30,092
Rainy River LL PC 5,053 39.56% 278 2.18% 67.25% 2,944 5,053 4,775 – – 12,772
Renfrew North Lib Lib 12,849 66.45% 7,101 36.72% 63.60% 12,849 5,748 740 – – 19,337
Renfrew South PC PC 14,182 51.97% 4,495 16.47% 68.64% 9,687 14,182 3,420 – – 27,289
St. Catharines Lib Lib 20,605 57.94% 11,576 32.55% 61.65% 20,605 9,029 5,624 – 305 35,563
Sarnia PC PC 18,651 61.25% 11,213 36.82% 59.99% 7,438 18,651 3,572 – 792 30,453
Sault Ste. Marie PC NDP 16,362 44.85% 1,069 2.93% 64.49% 4,830 15,293 16,362 – – 36,485
Simcoe Centre PC PC 15,379 38.04% 534 1.32% 60.78% 14,845 15,379 9,639 566 – 40,429
Simcoe East PC PC 13,371 41.86% 2,369 7.42% 63.52% 7,566 13,371 11,002 – – 31,939
Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry PC PC 13,119 60.03% 6,083 27.83% 61.94% 7,036 13,119 1,700 – – 21,855
Sudbury PC PC 12,591 48.61% 5,581 21.55% 60.65% 6,302 12,591 7,010 – – 25,903
Sudbury East NDP NDP 17,241 54.66% 7,665 24.30% 63.21% 4,726 9,576 17,241 – – 31,543
Timiskaming PC NDP 10,765 50.79% 2,824 13.32% 71.10% 2,026 7,941 10,765 464 – 21,196
Victoria—Haliburton Lib Lib 15,340 50.93% 3,770 12.52% 67.09% 15,340 11,570 3,209 – – 30,119
Waterloo North Lib Lib 16,458 54.60% 7,309 24.25% 58.80% 16,458 9,149 4,534 – – 30,141
Welland-Thorold NDP NDP 17,065 59.44% 11,038 38.45% 66.73% 6,027 5,618 17,065 – – 28,710
Wellington—Dufferin—Peel PC PC 14,845 46.92% 4,444 14.05% 58.06% 10,401 14,845 6,395 – – 31,641
Wellington South Lib Lib 17,995 47.83% 5,006 13.30% 65.46% 17,995 12,989 6,641 – – 37,625
Wentworth PC PC 12,322 38.29% 1,985 6.17% 61.14% 10,337 12,322 8,571 947 – 32,177
Wentworth North Lib Lib 18,328 47.73% 5,168 13.46% 65.33% 18,328 13,160 6,158 – 751 38,397
Windsor—Riverside NDP NDP 17,883 61.62% 11,164 38.47% 57.28% 4,418 6,719 17,883 – – 29,020
Windsor—Sandwich Lib Lib 10,730 48.35% 3,147 14.18% 56.50% 10,730 3,681 7,583 – 197 22,191
Windsor—Walkerville Lib Lib 9,130 40.03% 2,150 9.43% 58.56% 9,130 6,980 6,698 – – 22,808
York Centre PC PC 25,022 45.82% 5,246 9.61% 57.11% 19,776 25,022 7,171 2,644 – 54,613
York North PC Lib 21,291 46.78% 4,095 9.00% 59.16% 21,291 17,196 7,026 – – 45,513
Armourdale PC PC 13,394 41.26% 212 0.65% 68.43% 13,182 13,394 5,429 – 456 32,461
Beaches—Woodbine NDP NDP 12,672 49.82% 5,371 21.12% 65.11% 5,065 7,301 12,672 – 396 25,434
Bellwoods NDP NDP 8,088 47.49% 1,433 8.41% 67.32% 6,655 1,964 8,088 324 – 17,031
Don Mills PC PC 15,481 50.72% 7,977 26.14% 57.52% 7,504 15,481 6,153 1,382 – 30,520
Dovercourt NDP NDP 6,677 38.96% 77 0.45% 67.75% 6,600 3,564 6,677 – 298 17,139
Downsview NDP Lib 11,234 43.92% 221 0.86% 65.58% 11,234 3,329 11,013 – – 25,576
Eglinton PC PC 13,503 43.60% 914 2.95% 67.42% 12,589 13,503 4,880 – – 30,972
Etobicoke NDP NDP 16,792 54.33% 9,219 29.83% 58.77% 6,544 7,573 16,792 – – 30,909
High Park—Swansea PC PC 9,960 38.13% 330 1.26% 70.02% 5,578 9,960 9,630 244 707 26,119
Humber PC Lib 18,057 45.92% 1,951 4.96% 66.85% 18,057 16,106 5,160 – – 39,323
Lakeshore PC NDP 11,539 39.89% 2,037 7.04% 67.93% 9,502 7,886 11,539 – – 28,927
Oakwood NDP NDP 10,407 41.63% 776 3.10% 68.62% 9,631 4,636 10,407 – 327 25,001
Oriole PC Lib 17,641 49.05% 4,084 11.36% 65.23% 17,641 13,557 3,660 – 1,106 35,964
Parkdale Lib Lib 12,065 62.67% 6,929 35.99% 66.69% 12,065 2,052 5,136 – – 19,253
Riverdale NDP NDP 9,869 52.16% 5,279 27.90% 61.69% 3,949 4,590 9,869 – 514 18,922
St. Andrew—St. Patrick PC PC 10,332 40.47% 1,959 7.67% 63.95% 6,330 10,332 8,373 – 496 25,531
St. David PC Lib 13,120 46.98% 3,418 12.24% 69.43% 13,120 9,702 4,878 – 228 27,928
St. George PC PC 11,378 35.04% 835 2.57% 58.00% 9,361 11,378 10,543 186 1,007 32,475
Scarborough Centre PC PC 8,890 35.56% 359 1.44% 57.77% 8,531 8,890 7,577 – – 24,998
Scarborough East PC Lib 15,855 48.22% 4,610 14.02% 58.27% 15,855 11,245 4,381 – 1,402 32,883
Scarborough—Ellesmere PC NDP 10,119 37.42% 219 0.81% 63.63% 6,674 9,900 10,119 – 348 27,041
Scarborough North PC Lib 30,504 47.52% 7,860 12.24% 57.68% 30,504 22,644 9,072 1,974 – 64,194
Scarborough West NDP NDP 12,889 53.19% 6,895 28.45% 60.47% 4,806 5,994 12,889 544 – 24,233
Wilson Heights PC Lib 12,363 40.76% 2,188 7.21% 64.26% 12,363 10,175 7,793 – – 30,331
York East PC PC 11,459 40.05% 2,276 7.96% 64.52% 6,629 11,459 9,183 – 1,339 28,610
York Mills PC PC 17,943 48.19% 7,865 21.12% 61.12% 10,078 17,943 6,872 – 2,339 37,232
York South NDP NDP 16,373 54.02% 9,566 31.56% 66.53% 6,807 5,321 16,373 1,465 343 30,309
York West PC PC 14,595 39.98% 715 1.96% 65.00% 13,880 14,595 6,930 – 1,099 36,504
Yorkview Lib Lib 15,986 49.84% 3,328 10.38% 60.72% 15,986 3,431 12,658 – – 32,075
  1. ^ including spoilt ballots
  2. ^ order is as given in EO reports
  = 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

Analysis

Party candidates in 2nd place[12]
Party in 1st place Party in 2nd place Total
PC Lib NDP
Progressive Conservative 38 14 52
Liberal 42 6 48
New Democratic 16 9 25
Total 58 47 20 125
Candidates ranked 1st to 5th place, by party[12]
Parties 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th
█ Progressive Conservative 52 58 15
█ Liberal 48 47 30
█ New Democratic 25 20 79 1
█ Independent 1 20 7
█ Libertarian 15 1
█ Communist 10
█ Green 5 3
█ Freedom 3
Resulting composition of the 28th Legislative Assembly[12]
Source Party
PC Lib NDP Total
Seats retained Incumbents returned 43 24 16 83
Open seats held 7 5 3 15
Byelection loss reversed 1 1
Ouster of incumbent changing allegiance 1 1
Seats changing hands Incumbents defeated 12 4 16
Open seats gained 2 5 1 8
Byelection gain held 1 1
Total 52 48 25 125

Significant results among independent and minor party candidates

Those candidates not belonging to a major party, receiving more than 1,000 votes in the election, are listed below:[12]

Riding Party Candidates Votes Placed
Don Mills █ Independent Gary Watson 1,382 4th
Essex North █ Independent Raymond Boggs 2,925 4th
Essex South █ Independent Jeffrey Totten 4,947 3rd
Lincoln █ Independent Kenneth Lee 1,036 4th
Oakville █ Green Christopher Kowalchuk 2,008 4th
Oriole █ Libertarian George Graham 1,106 4th
St. George █ Libertarian Michael Beech 1,007 4th
Scarborough East █ Libertarian James McIntosh 1,402 4th
Scarborough North █ Independent Ronald Austin 1,974 4th
York Centre █ Independent Stewart Cole 2,644 4th
York Mills █ Libertarian Scott Bell 2,339 4th
York South █ Independent William Schulze 1,063 4th
York West █ Libertarian Robert Dunk 1,099 4th

Seats changing hands

Twenty-five seats changed allegiance in this election:

MPPs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:

  PC
  Liberal
  NDP

Riding results

Algoma:

  • (incumbent) Bud Wildman (NDP) 7575
  • Jim Thibert (PC) 3694
  • Bryan McDougall (L) 2995

Algoma—Manitoulin:

  • (incumbent) John Lane (PC) 7174
  • Tom Farquhar (L) 4704
  • Len Hembruf (NDP) 3309

Armourdale:

Beaches—Woodbine:

Bellwoods:

  • (incumbent) Ross McClellan (NDP) 8088
  • Walter Bardyn (L) 6655
  • Bento de Sao Jose (PC) 1964
  • Ronald Rodgers 324

Brampton:

  • Bob Callahan (L) 25656
  • Jeff Rice (PC) 21239
  • Terry Gorman (NDP) 8313
  • Jim Bridgewood (Comm) 531
  • Dave Duqette 500

Brantford:

  • (incumbent) Phil Gillies (PC) 13444
  • Jack Tubman (NDP) 12303
  • Herb German (L) 6533

Brant-Oxford-Norfolk:

  • (incumbent) Robert Nixon (L) 15317
  • Ian Birnie (PC) 5817
  • Irene Heltner (NDP) 3487

Brock:

  • Peter Partington (PC) 9741
  • Bill Andres (L) 9081
  • Robert Woolston (NDP) 3867
  • Brian Dolby (G) 755

Burlington South:

  • Cam Jackson (PC) 16479
  • Doug Redfearn (L) 11822
  • Walter Mukewich (NDP) 10820

Cambridge:

  • (incumbent) Bill Barlow (PC) 12888
  • Alec Dufresne (NDP) 11985
  • Bob Jeffrey (L) 7083

Carleton:

Carleton East:

Carleton-Grenville:

  • (incumbent) Norm Sterling (PC) 15524
  • Dan Maxwell (L) 8019
  • Alan White (NDP) 3468

Chatham—Kent:

Cochrane North:

Cochrane South:

  • (incumbent) Alan Pope (PC) 13935
  • Roger Loiselle (NDP) 5662
  • Jim Martin (L) 4002

Cornwall:

  • Luc Guindon (PC) 9430
  • Claude Poirier (L) 6384
  • Steve Corrie (NDP) 5828

Don Mills:

  • (incumbent) Dennis Timbrell (PC) 15481
  • John Atkin (L) 7504
  • Michael Wyatt (NDP) 6153
  • Gary Watson (Ind [RWL]) 1382

Dovercourt:

  • (incumbent) Tony Lupusella (NDP) 6677
  • Gil Gillespie (L) 6600
  • Joe Palozzi (PC) 3564
  • Gordon Massie (Comm) 298

Downsview:

Dufferin—Simcoe:

  • (incumbent) George McCague (PC) 16198
  • Gary Johnson (L) 11822
  • Jeff Koechlin (NDP) 4316

Durham East:

  • (incumbent) Sam Cureatz (PC) 15193
  • Doug Smith (NDP) 9832
  • Steve Ryan (L) 7584

Durham West:

  • (incumbent) George Ashe (PC) 18684
  • Brian Evans (L) 14348
  • Don Stewart (NDP) 8495
  • Eugene Gmitrowicz (Lbt) 911

Durham—York:

  • (incumbent) Ross Stevenson (PC) 14343
  • Don Hadden (L) 9760
  • Margaret Wilbur (NDP) 5440

Eglinton:

Elgin:

  • (incumbent) Ron McNeil (PC) 11816
  • Peter Charlton (L) 8619
  • Gord Campbell (NDP) 5315

Erie:

  • (incumbent) Ray Haggerty (L) 10926
  • Stan Pettit (PC) 5904
  • Shirley Summers (NDP) 3191

Essex North:

  • Pat Hayes (NDP) 7901
  • Jack Morris (L) 6615
  • Jack Menard (PC) 6105
  • Ray Boggs 2925

Essex South:

  • (incumbent) Remo Mancini (L) 11382
  • Paul Setterington (PC) 5098
  • Jeff Totten 4947
  • Paul Hertel (NDP) 267

Etobicoke:

  • (incumbent) Ed Philip (NDP) 16792
  • John Smith (PC) 7573
  • John Genser (L) 6544

Fort William:

  • (incumbent) Mickey Hennessy (PC) 14452
  • Don Smith (NDP) 7071
  • Norris Badanai (L) 4629
  • John MacLennan (Comm) 289

Frontenac—Addington:

Grey:

  • (incumbent) Bob McKessock (L) 16061
  • Case Vanderham (PC) 5875
  • Rhonda Green (NDP) 2402
  • Eric Biggins (Lbt) 306

Grey—Bruce:

  • (incumbent) Eddie Sargent (L) 14883
  • Arlene Wright (PC) 7595
  • Joanne Shaw (NDP) 2340

Haldimand—Norfolk:

  • (incumbent) Gordon Miller (L) 17456
  • Barbara Martindale (PC) 9863
  • Wayne Pierce (NDP) 3821

Halton—Burlington:

  • Don Knight (L) 14991
  • Peter Pomeroy (PC) 14777
  • Doug Hamilton (NDP) 4871
  • Neil Sivertson 665

Hamilton Centre:

Hamilton East:

Hamilton Mountain:

Hamilton West:

  • (incumbent) Richard Allen (NDP) 10182
  • Paul Hanover (L) 9732
  • Anne Jones (PC) 6705
  • Ron Crawford 496
  • Val Hache 97

Hastings—Peterborough:

High Park—Swansea:

  • (incumbent) Yuri Shymko (PC) 9960
  • Elaine Ziemba (NDP) 9630
  • John Rudnicki (L) 5578
  • Bob Cumming (Lbt) 498
  • Robert Seajkowski 244
  • Andrew Scorer (G) 209

Humber:

Huron—Bruce:

Huron—Middlesex:

Kenora:

  • (incumbent) Leo Bernier (PC) 12574
  • Colin Wasacase (NDP) 4025
  • Mark Ducharme (L) 2254

Kent—Elgin:

  • (incumbent) Jim McGuigan (L) 11616
  • Shirley McHardy (PC) 7838
  • Donald Alexander (NDP) 1916

Kingston and the Islands:

Kitchener:

  • David Cooke (L) 14066
  • Don Travers (PC) 9684
  • Tim Little (NDP) 5654
  • Ed Halbach (Ind [Humanist]) 453
  • Albert Norris 157

Kitchener—Wilmot:

Lake Nipigon:

Lambton:

Lanark—Renfrew:

  • (incumbent) Douglas Wiseman (PC) 10916
  • John Carley (L) 5146
  • Don Page (NDP) 3297

Lakeshore:

Leeds:

  • (incumbent) Robert Runciman (PC) 11809
  • Dolores Wing (L) 6748
  • Bob Smith (NDP) 3583
  • Mackie Morrison 741

Lincoln:

  • (incumbent) Philip Andrewes (PC) 12226
  • Gladys Huffman (L) 9004
  • Barbara Mersereau (NDP) 2264
  • Ken Lee 1036

London Centre:

  • (incumbent) David Peterson (L) 13890
  • Bill Rudd (PC) 6714
  • Peter Cassidy (NDP) 4340
  • Michelle McColm (F) 403

London North:

London South:

Middlesex:

Mississauga East:

  • (incumbent) Bud Gregory (PC) 14900
  • Victor Maida (L) 12334
  • Larry Taylor (NDP) 12015

Mississauga North:

Mississauga South:

Muskoka:

  • (incumbent) Frank Miller (PC) 12723
  • Kenneth McClellan (L) 3036
  • Bob Maguire (NDP) 2836

Niagara Falls:

Nickel Belt:

  • (incumbent) Floyd Laughren (NDP) 8912
  • Evelyn Dutrisac (PC) 5849
  • Trudy Bolduc (L) 2255

Nipissing:

  • (incumbent) Mike Harris (PC) 14900
  • Mike Gauthier (L) 11002
  • Lynne Bennett (NDP) 3984

Northumberland:

Oakville:

Oakwood:

  • (incumbent) Tony Grande (NDP) 10407
  • Joe Ricciuti (L) 9631
  • Harriet Wolman (PC) 4636
  • Mike Sterling (Comm) 327

Oriole:

Oshawa:

  • (incumbent) Mike Breaugh (NDP) 12686
  • Bob Boychyn (PC) 7528
  • Joe Neal (L) 5034

Ottawa Centre:

Ottawa East:

  • (incumbent) Bernard Grandmaitre (L) 14601
  • Kathryn Barnard (NDP) 3971
  • Paul St. Georges (PC) 2257
  • Serge Girard (politician)|Serge Girard 518

Ottawa South:

  • (incumbent) Claude Bennett (PC) 12971
  • Andrew Caddell (L) 11634
  • John Smart (NDP) 8311

Ottawa West:

Oxford:

  • (incumbent) Dick Treleaven (PC) 15507
  • Charlotte Sutherland (L) 10656
  • Wayne Colburn (NDP) 5660
  • Kaye Sargent (Lbt) 729
  • Rick Spurgeon 577

Parkdale:

  • (incumbent) Tony Ruprecht (L) 12065
  • Richard Gilbert (NDP) 5176
  • Tessie Jew (PC) 2052

Parry Sound:

  • (incumbent) Ernie Eves (PC) 10904
  • Richard Thomas (L) 9544
  • Leo Gagne (NDP) 1130

Perth:

  • (incumbent) Hugh Edighoffer (L) 20040
  • Glynn Coghlin (PC) 6076
  • Warren Ham (NDP) 2796

Peterborough:

  • (incumbent) John Turner (PC) 16878
  • Linda Slavin (NDP) 11941
  • Bill Ayotte (L) 9734
  • John Conlin (Lbt) 461
  • George K. Kerr (G) 212

Port Arthur:

  • (incumbent) Jim Foulds (NDP) 13084
  • Swede Johnson (PC) 9826
  • John Ranta (L) 6169

Prescott and Russell:

  • (incumbent) Jean Poirier (L) 18833
  • Guy Genier (PC) 11038
  • Maurice Landry (NDP) 2625

Prince Edward—Lennox:

  • (incumbent) James Taylor (PC) 10170
  • Gordon Mylks (L) 6918
  • Harry Plummer (NDP) 2307

Quinte:

  • (incumbent) Hugh O’Neil (L) 18988
  • Neil Robertson (PC) 9287
  • Gene Morosan (NDP) 1817

Rainy River:

Renfrew North:

  • (incumbent) Sean Conway (L) 12849
  • Bryan Hocking (PC) 5748
  • Robert Cottingham (NDP) 740

Renfrew South:

Riverdale:

  • David Reville (NDP) 9869
  • Bret Snider (PC) 4590
  • Doug DeMille (L) 3949
  • Maggie Bizzell (Comm) 322
  • Michael Tegtmeyer (G) 192

St. Andrew—St. Patrick:

  • (incumbent) Larry Grossman (PC) 10332
  • Meg Griffiths (NDP) 8373
  • Jim DaCosta (L) 6330
  • Cathy Laurier (Comm) 264
  • Judy Hannon (G) 232

St. Catharines:

Party Candidate Votes % +/-
Liberal (incumbent) Jim Bradley 20,605 57.94
Progressive Conservative Elaine Herzog 9,029 25.39
New Democratic Michael Cormier 5,624 15.81
Communist Eric Blair 305 0.86
Total valid votes 35,563 100.00
Rejected, unmarked and declined ballots 201
Turnout 35,764 61.65

St. David:

St. George:

  • (incumbent) Susan Fish (PC) 11378
  • Diana Hunt (NDP) 10543
  • Joseph Mifsud (L) 9361
  • Michael Beech (Lbt) 1007
  • Karol Siroky (Ind [New Tories]) 186

Sarnia:

  • (incumbent) Andy Brandt (PC) 18651
  • Michael Robb (L) 7438
  • Duncan Longwell (NDP) 3572
  • Margaret Coe (Lbt) 792

Sault Ste. Marie:

Scarborough Centre:

Scarborough East:

  • Ed Fulton (L) 15855
  • Verla Fiveash (PC) 11245
  • Alawi Mohideen (NDP) 4381
  • Jim McIntosh (Lbt) 1402

Scarborough—Ellesmere:

Scarborough North:

  • Alvin Curling (L) 30504
  • Carole Noble (PC) 22644
  • Jerry Daca (NDP) 9072
  • R.J. Austin 1972

Scarborough West:

  • (incumbent) Richard Johnston (NDP) 12889
  • Kurt Christensen (PC) 5994
  • Anthony Judd (L) 4806
  • John MacMillan 544

Simcoe Centre:

Simcoe East:

  • (incumbent) Al McLean (PC) 13371
  • Fayne Bullen (NDP) 11002
  • George MacDonald (L) 7566

Stormont—Dundas—Glengarry and East Grenville:

  • (incumbent) Noble Villeneuve (PC) 13119
  • Bill Dillabough (L) 7036
  • Rudi Derstroff (NDP) 1700

Sudbury:

  • (incumbent) Jim Gordon (PC) 12591
  • Ernie St-Jean (NDP) 7010
  • Chris Nash (L) 6302

Sudbury East:

Timiskaming:

Victoria—Haliburton:

  • (incumbent) John Eakins (L) 15340
  • Murray Fearrey (PC) 11570
  • Art Field (NDP) 3209

Waterloo North:

Welland—Thorold:

  • (incumbent) Mel Swart (NDP) 17065
  • Roy Smith (L) 6027
  • Ed Minchin (PC) 5618

Wellington—Dufferin—Peel:

  • (incumbent) Jack Johnson (PC) 14845
  • Bruce Whiteside (L) 10401
  • Sandy Young (NDP) 6395

Wellington South:

Wentworth:

  • (incumbent) Gordon Dean (PC) 12322
  • June Peace (L) 10337
  • Sharon Lehnert (NDP) 8571
  • Albert Papazian 947

Wentworth North:

  • Chris Ward (L) 18328
  • (incumbent) Ann Sloat (PC) 13160
  • Lynn Spencer (NDP) 6158
  • George Grinnell (G) 751

Wilson Heights:

Windsor—Riverside:

Windsor—Sandwich:

  • (incumbent) Bill Wrye (L) 10730
  • Paul Forder (NDP) 7583
  • Ron Arkell (PC) 3681
  • Mike Longmoore (Comm) 197

Windsor—Walkerville:

  • (incumbent) Bernard Newman (L) 9130
  • Jane Boyd (PC) 6980
  • Gary Parent (NDP) 6698

York Centre:

  • (incumbent) Don Cousens (PC) 25022
  • Ron Maheu (L) 19776
  • Diane Meaghan (NDP) 7171
  • Stewart Cole 2644

York East:

  • (incumbent) Robert Elgie (PC) 11459
  • Gord Crann (NDP) 9183
  • Omar Chaudhery (L) 6629
  • Ed McDonald (Comm) 929
  • Kathy Sorensen (Lbt) 410

York Mills:

  • (incumbent) Bette Stephenson (PC) 17943
  • Gunnar Tannis (L) 10078
  • Gord Doctorow (NDP) 6872
  • Scott Bell (Lbt) 2339

York North:

York South:

  • (incumbent) Bob Rae (NDP) 16373
  • Horace Hale (L) 6807
  • Toomas Dunapuu (PC) 5321
  • Paul Schulze 1063
  • Lucille Boikoff 402
  • Dusan Kubias (Lbt) 343

York West:

Yorkview:

Post-election changes

York East (res. Robert Elgie, September 26, 1985), April 17, 1986:

Cochrane North (res. René Fontaine, 1986), August 14, 1986:

David Ramsay, elected as a New Democrat, joined the Liberal Party on October 6, 1986. Tony Lupusella, also elected as a New Democrat, joined the Liberal Party on December 17, 1986. After Lupusella's defection, the Liberals held as many seats in the legislative assembly as the Progressive Conservatives, at 51, (if the Speaker of the Legislature is included as a Liberal).

Paul Yakabuski, PC MPP for Renfrew South died July 31, 1987

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Replaced as Premier by David Peterson on June 26, 1985
  2. ^ Turmel ran as a "Social Credit Party of Ontario" candidate despite the fact that the party was long since defunct

References

  1. ^ Robert Matas, "Davis like Hitler on schools: bishop," Globe and Mail, 25 April 1985, p. 1.
  2. ^ "What happens in a hung Parliament – Macleans.ca".
  3. ^ Stevens, Geoffrey (1990), Leaders and Lesser Mortals, Toronto: Key Porter Books, pp. 48–50, ISBN 1550134442
  4. ^ Stevens, Geoffrey (1990), Leaders and Lesser Mortals, Toronto: Key Porter Books, pp. 50, ISBN 1550134442
  5. ^ Adams, Michael; Dasko, Donna; James, Matsui (April 22, 1985). "Support for Tories slides 41%; down 10 points in Metro". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  6. ^ a b Cruickshank, John; Ross, Howard (April 13, 1985). "Tories find support slipping". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  7. ^ Stead, Sylvia; Cruickshank, John (March 26, 1985). "Race is on in Ontario for May vote". The Globe and Mail. p. 1.
  8. ^ Campbell, Murray (April 27, 1985). "Peterson appeals for NDP votes". The Globe and Mail. p. 12.
  9. ^ Stead, Sylvia; Stephens, Robert (February 22, 1985). "55% in Ontario back the Tories in poll this month". The Globe and Mail. p. 4.
  10. ^ Martin, Patrick (October 11, 1984). "Contenders far behind Davis in polls". The Globe and Mail. p. P5.
  11. ^ "Ontario Tories still way out in front of rivals: poll". The Citizen. August 2, 1983. p. 3.
  12. ^ a b c d e f "1985 general election results". Elections Ontario. Retrieved December 13, 2023.

Further reading