metronews.ca
news
12
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2011
Conservatives gird for right turn LUCAS OLENIUK/TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
PC win in Ontario would mean political sea change: Pollster Canada’s conservatives have their eye on a magic number in the coming Ontario election: 56. If the Ontario Progressive Conservatives win that many seats or better in the Oct. 6 election, it will mean that more than half the seats in Canada’s legislatures, federal and provincial, are occupied by right-of-centre politicians. “Is it a significant milestone? For people engaged in conservative politics, it is certainly something to feel good about,” said Mitch Wexler, whose firm, Pollmaps, provides voting data for Conservative politicians. Wexler’s count includes conservative politicians in name and in tilt, including members of the B.C. Liber-
als, the Wild Rose and Action démocratique parties. He says right-leaning politicians occupy 481 seats out of 1,023 federal and provincial ridings. To achieve half, or 512, there needs to be a net gain of 31 seats. A 56-seat win by the Ontario PCs would push the total of right-wingers in Canadian politics to well over half. However, Wexler’s data also show that the Ontario PCs cannot assume they will coast to victory on the combined support of Mayor Rob Ford and Prime Minister Stephen Harper. Ford voters did not stampede in a bloc to Harper in May’s federal election. In fact, the two have different bases of support in the GTA.
Ontario Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak, right, applauds Mayor Rob Ford as he takes the stage at his annual barbecue in Etobicoke on Friday. Conservatives across Canada have high hopes for the upcoming provincial election.
TORSTAR NEWS SERVICE
Join us. Begin at facebook.com/weday.
For every like, $1 will be donated to Free The Children. We Day is an initiative of Free The Children. Visit weday.com for more info.
Celebrating the youth movement for global change. Watch We Day live on September 27 at MuchMusic.com/weday.