Smaller Tory mandate than hoped for, no seat for Crombie and other takeaways from the Ont. election [Video]

While Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservatives’ third majority win was obviously the most significant development of this week’s Ontario election, but Thursday night’s results also brought other political ramifications.

That includes vindication of the PC party’s strategy of making the campaign about U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff threat, and successfully selling Ford as the best leader to deal with it.

“The Conservatives correctly calculated that that this would be the ballot question because of what’s happening with the Trump administration and [that] Mr. Ford would do well on that ballot question,” said Jonathan Malloy, political science professor at Carleton University in Ottawa.

Another takeaway is whether the costly snap election was worth it, or just “a $190 million exercise in preserving the status quo,” said Andrea Lawlor, an associate professor of political science at McMaster University in Hamilton.

“We saw so little movement in terms of seats.” 

According to the unofficial results, the PCs were elected or leading with 80 seats, followed …