The Ontario Liberals won two byelections Thursday night, breathing new life into the leaderless party.
Liberal Karen McCrimmon, a military veteran and former member of Parliament, clinched the suburban Ottawa riding of Kanata—Carleton, a Tory stronghold for the last century at the provincial level. She represented it federally from 2015 to 2021.
The first woman to command a Canadian Forces air force squadron, McCrimmon bested Sean Webster, a lobbyist and longtime Conservative insider who was thought to be a likely contender for cabinet if he won, with 34 per cent to his 32. The NDP’s Melissa Coenraad, a health-care worker and union leader came a close third, with 29 per cent of the vote.
McCrimmon said her constituency got to know her personally when the area flooded in 2017.
“I was out there,” she told The Trillium ahead of the election. “I’ve always been very active and very accessible throughout the entire community and I think that’s earned me some points that others might not have.”
The Liberals also held on to Scarborough—Guildwood, a Liberal stronghold since its creation in 2007 and the party’s last bastion of support in the area. Former Liberal cabinet minister Mitzie Hunter triggered the byelection when she resigned to run, unsuccessfully, in the Toronto mayoral byelection.
Guildwood voters chose small business owner Andrea Hazell over the Progressive Conservatives’ Gary Crawford, who was a city councillor for a neighbouring ward for 13 years, 37 per cent to 30.
He appeared confident heading into election day, resigning his seat just days before the vote, earning himself a $120,000 severance cheque. He’d served as budget chief to former mayor John Tory, who endorsed him.
Thadsha Navaneethan, a union human rights officer, ran for the NDP and earned 26 per cent of the vote.
Before election day, Hazell was also confident. “I don’t see any candidate that is a strong competitor for Andrea Hazell,” she’d told The Trillium, and was apparently right.
Her victory speech was just as buoyant.
“I am the face of Scarborough,” Hazell said, mobbed by dozens of supporters. “You now have Andrea Hazell! You have Hurricane Hazell,” she added.
Meanwhile, Crawford walked out after the results into the Olde Stone Cottage Pub to loud applause and chants of, “Gary! Gary! Gary!”
He thanked his family, staff and volunteers, then congratulated Hazell and offered his support.
“Andrea, I am there for you to help out,” he said.
Crawford said he had “no regrets” about resigning his council seat, and suggested he wasn’t done with public life.
“I’m looking forward to that next chapter of my life, and I’ll continue supporting the residents of Scarborough,” he told The Trillium.
“I’m not done yet. I have a lot of fight in me and a lot of energy in me.”
He said he had gotten a call from Premier Doug Ford, who was “disappointed.”
Asked about the PCs losing both byelections, Crawford said, “I think the party is gonna have to look at this.” Later, he stressed that the Ford government, which still enjoys a large majority, is “strong.”
Turnout in Scarborough—Guildwood was anemic, where under 22 per cent of voters cast a ballot — significantly less than the 35 per cent in Kanata—Carleton.
With Crawford’s loss, the PCs are held to four of six Scarborough seats, with NDP MPP Doly Begum still holding Scarborough Southwest. With Webster’s, Ottawa is now mostly Liberal territory, as McCrimmon joins Ottawa South MPP John Fraser, Orléans MPP Stephen Blais and Ottawa-Vanier MPP Lucille Collard.
The Liberals now have nine seats at Queen’s Park: four in Toronto’s east end, four in and around Ottawa, and one in Kingston.
The PCs have 81 MPPs, about two-thirds of the legislature.
