Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2004
Encyclopedia
On January 23, 2004, the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
leader Ernie Eves
announced his intention to step down as leader before the fall of 2004. Eves was elected party leader in the party's 2002 leadership election
, and became Premier of Ontario
. He led the party to defeat in the 2003 provincial election
.
Under the Ontario PC Party Constitution, a leadership election could not be called until Eves submitted a formal request to the Party Executive. He did not do so until June, and a few days later, on June 13, the Party Executive called a leadership election for September 18, 2004. The leadership vote was won by John Tory
with approximately 54% of the vote on the second ballot.
on August 30. While the third debate was a restrained affair the first two were marked by clashes between Flaherty and Tory as Flaherty accused his rival of not being a real conservative and being out of touch and elitest.
Final candidate speeches were made at the convention in Toronto on September 17. Flaherty made the unusual decision to actually deliver his speech in his home town of Whitby
and have it broadcast live to the convention. This was criticized as being "gimmicky" and reminiscent of the disastrous Magna budget as well as demonstrating a hostility to Toronto. The criticisms of Flaherty's decision overshadowed the contents of his speech.
" and arguing for a return to the policies of Mike Harris
. A social conservative, Flaherty was perceived to be in favour of taking the party into a more right wing direction on social issues but said little of this during the actual campaign. John Tory's campaign hearkened back to the party's success under Bill Davis
and argued that Ontarians were tired of divisiveness and polarization and that a more moderate direction was needed if the party was to succeed.
Tory, a former candidate for Mayor of Toronto, also emphasised the importance of urban issues and appealing to residents of Ontario's largest city which had shut the Tories out in the 2003 provincial election. He also argued against the privatization of crown corporations such as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
, which had been advocated by his rivals. Klees ran as a grassroots candidate, arguing that the party had been the captive of unelected backroom consultants during the Harris and Eves years and had cut off not only party members but backbench
MPPs.
Klees ran as a defender of the Common Sense Revolution but, unlike Flaherty, was not seen as a social conservative. He was the only candidate to argue in favour of "two tier" health care and privatization within medicare.
in its leadership election
. Each provincial riding association
has up to 100 Electoral Votes that will be allocated among the candidates by proportional representation
according to the votes cast by party members within the riding. This is not a pure "one member one vote" system since each riding generally has equal weight. (Ridings with fewer than 100 voting party members are allocated one Electoral Vote per voting member; ridings with 100 or more voting party members are allocated 100 Electoral Votes.)
This system is designed to favour candidates who can win support across the province and win in a majority of ridings. This replicates what is necessary for a party to win a general election - though without the "first past the post" feature of elections under the Westminster system
. The party will use a preferential ballot
on which voters rank their choices. If no candidate wins a majority of Electoral Votes, then the third-place candidate is eliminated, and his votes are redistributed according to second-choice rankings.
Members could only vote in person on September 18, or at the September 13 advance poll, or by proxy. Mail-in, phone-in and Internet voting are not permitted. Only party members in good standing as of 6:00 p.m., EDT, August 7, 2004, were be eligible to vote. According to the party, there were 61,104 eligible voters, only 25,323 of whom cast ballots for a turnout of 41.4%.
Party president Blair McCreadie
announced that candidates would be under a spending cap of $1 million, which is less than the $1.5 million permitted in the last leadership contest.
The leadership election was administered by an impartial Leadership Election Committee chaired by McCreadie and co-chaired by MPP Julia Munro. The Chief Election Officer was Tom Barlow. There were four Deputy Chief Election Officers: Janet Carwardine, Barbara Cowieson, Murna Dalton and Allan Williams.
5,039 electoral votes needed to win
5,028 electoral votes needed to win
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario
The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
leader Ernie Eves
Ernie Eves
Ernest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
announced his intention to step down as leader before the fall of 2004. Eves was elected party leader in the party's 2002 leadership election
Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2002
The 2002 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election was a leadership election called in the fall of 2001 when Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Premier Mike Harris announced his intention to resign....
, and became Premier of Ontario
Premier of Ontario
The Premier of Ontario is the first Minister of the Crown for the Canadian province of Ontario. The Premier is appointed as the province's head of government by the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario, and presides over the Executive council, or Cabinet. The Executive Council Act The Premier of Ontario...
. He led the party to defeat in the 2003 provincial election
Ontario general election, 2003
The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....
.
Under the Ontario PC Party Constitution, a leadership election could not be called until Eves submitted a formal request to the Party Executive. He did not do so until June, and a few days later, on June 13, the Party Executive called a leadership election for September 18, 2004. The leadership vote was won by John Tory
John Tory
John Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
with approximately 54% of the vote on the second ballot.
Candidates
- Jim FlahertyJim FlahertyJames Michael "Jim" Flaherty, PC, MP is Canada's Minister of Finance and he has also served as Ontario's Minister of Finance. From 1995 until 2005, he was the Member of Provincial Parliament for Whitby—Ajax, and a member of the Progressive Conservative Party caucus...
is the former provincial Minister of FinanceTreasurerA treasurer is the person responsible for running the treasury of an organization. The adjective for a treasurer is normally "tresorial". The adjective "treasurial" normally means pertaining to a treasury, rather than the treasurer.-Government:...
under Mike HarrisMike HarrisMichael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, and Eves' Minister of Enterprise, Opportunity and Innovation. He was the runner-up to Eves in the 2002 leadership election. Flaherty is a social conservative, whose 2002 campaign focused on law and order and neo-conservative wedge issueWedge issueA wedge issue is a social or political issue, often of a divisive or otherwise controversial nature, which splits apart or creates a "wedge" in the support base of one political group...
s.
- Frank KleesFrank KleesFrank Klees is a Canadian politician and the Progressive Conservative member of Provincial Parliament for the riding of Newmarket—Aurora north of Toronto. He was a candidate in the 2009 Progressive Conservative leadership election placing second behind victor Tim Hudak.-Early life:Klees was born...
is the former Chief Government Whip in the Harris government, and Minister of Tourism and of Transportation in the Eves government. His campaign has criticized the Harris-Eves government for its reliance on unelected advisors, and has promised to return the party to the grassrootsGrassrootsA grassroots movement is one driven by the politics of a community. The term implies that the creation of the movement and the group supporting it are natural and spontaneous, highlighting the differences between this and a movement that is orchestrated by traditional power structures...
. He also argued for health care reform, particularly the introduction of private health care for those who can afford it.
- John ToryJohn ToryJohn Howard Tory is a Canadian businessman, political activist, former leader of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario, former Member of Provincial Parliament and broadcaster...
is former principal secretary to Bill DavisBill DavisWilliam Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
, who was Ontario PremierPremierPremier is a title for the head of government in some countries and states.-Examples by country:In many nations, "premier" is used interchangeably with "prime minister"...
from 1971 to 1985. Tory is the former CEO of Rogers Cablesystems. He ran a surprisingly strong campaign for Mayor of Toronto in the 2003 civic electionToronto municipal election, 2003The Toronto municipal election of 2003 was held on November 10, 2003, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, to elect the Mayor of Toronto, 44 city councillors, and school board trustees.David Miller was elected mayor ....
. His campaign leaned more to the political centre and appealed to Red Tories.
Proposed candidates who did not run
- Elizabeth WitmerElizabeth WitmerElizabeth Witmer is a politician in Ontario, Canada. She has been a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario since 1990, originally representing Waterloo North and later Kitchener—Waterloo for the Progressive Conservative Party.Witmer moved with her family to Ontario at a young age...
has been a Waterloo, OntarioWaterloo, OntarioWaterloo is a city in Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the smallest of the three cities in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo, and is adjacent to the city of Kitchener....
Member of Provincial Parliament (MPP) since 1990. She served as Minister of Health and then Minister of the Environment under Mike HarrisMike HarrisMichael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
, and Minister of Education and Deputy Premier under Ernie EvesErnie EvesErnest Lawrence "Ernie" Eves was the 23rd Premier of the province of Ontario, Canada, from April 15, 2002, to October 23, 2003.-Beginnings:...
. Witmer was a candidate in the 2002 race that selected Eves. She had considered running in the 2004 race, but decided to endorse John Tory instead.
- John BairdJohn Baird (Canadian politician)John Russell Baird, PC, MP is a Canadian politician currently serving as the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the cabinet of Prime Minister Stephen Harper....
, MPP for NepeanNepean (electoral district)Nepean was a federal electoral district in Ontario, Canada, that was represented in the Canadian House of Commons from 1988 to 1997. It was also the name of an overlapping district represented in the Ontario legislature from 1987 to 1999....
since 1995, was initially mentioned as a possible candidate, but decided to support Jim Flaherty.
- Cam JacksonCam JacksonCameron "Cam" Jackson is a Canadian politician. A Progressive Conservative, he was first elected to the Legislative Assembly of Ontario in 1985, and held the office of Member of Provincial Parliament for Burlington until his resignation on September 28, 2006 to run for mayor of Burlington in the...
, a Tory MPP since 1985 from Burlington, OntarioBurlington, OntarioBurlington , is a city located in Halton Region at the western end of Lake Ontario. Burlington is part of the Greater Toronto Area, and is also included in the Hamilton Census Metropolitan Area. Physically, Burlington lies between the north shore of Lake Ontario and the Niagara Escarpment...
and variously Minister of Tourism, Citizenship and Seniors in the Harris and Eves governments, was rumoured to be considering a run, but decided to endorse John Tory.
Debates
The first of three candidates' debates occurred in Ottawa on July 26. The second debate occurred in Sudbury on August 17. The final debate was held in London, OntarioLondon, Ontario
London is a city in Southwestern Ontario, Canada, situated along the Quebec City – Windsor Corridor. The city has a population of 352,395, and the metropolitan area has a population of 457,720, according to the 2006 Canadian census; the metro population in 2009 was estimated at 489,274. The city...
on August 30. While the third debate was a restrained affair the first two were marked by clashes between Flaherty and Tory as Flaherty accused his rival of not being a real conservative and being out of touch and elitest.
Final candidate speeches were made at the convention in Toronto on September 17. Flaherty made the unusual decision to actually deliver his speech in his home town of Whitby
Whitby, Ontario
Whitby is a town in Durham Region. Whitby is located in Southern Ontario east of Toronto on the north shore of Lake Ontario, and is home to the headquarters of Durham Region...
and have it broadcast live to the convention. This was criticized as being "gimmicky" and reminiscent of the disastrous Magna budget as well as demonstrating a hostility to Toronto. The criticisms of Flaherty's decision overshadowed the contents of his speech.
Issues
Flaherty's campaign was strongly critical of outgoing leader Ernie Eves accusing him of abandoning the "Common Sense RevolutionCommon Sense Revolution
The phrase Common Sense Revolution has been used as a political slogan to describe common sense conservative platforms in Australia and the U.S. state of New Jersey in the 1990s. Based on the Singapore Model of economics, its main goal is to reduce taxes while balancing the budget by reducing the...
" and arguing for a return to the policies of Mike Harris
Mike Harris
Michael Deane "Mike" Harris was the 22nd Premier of Ontario from June 26, 1995 to April 15, 2002. He is most noted for the "Common Sense Revolution", his Progressive Conservative government's program of deficit reduction in combination with lower taxes and cuts to government...
. A social conservative, Flaherty was perceived to be in favour of taking the party into a more right wing direction on social issues but said little of this during the actual campaign. John Tory's campaign hearkened back to the party's success under Bill Davis
Bill Davis
William Grenville "Bill" Davis, was the 18th Premier of Ontario, Canada, from 1971 to 1985. Davis was first elected as the MPP for Peel in the 1959 provincial election where he was a backbencher in Leslie Frost's government. Under John Robarts, he was a cabinet minister overseeing the education...
and argued that Ontarians were tired of divisiveness and polarization and that a more moderate direction was needed if the party was to succeed.
Tory, a former candidate for Mayor of Toronto, also emphasised the importance of urban issues and appealing to residents of Ontario's largest city which had shut the Tories out in the 2003 provincial election. He also argued against the privatization of crown corporations such as the Liquor Control Board of Ontario
Liquor Control Board of Ontario
The Liquor Control Board of Ontario is a provincial Crown corporation in Ontario, Canada established in 1927 by Lieutenant Governor William Donald Ross, on the advice of his Premier, Howard Ferguson, to sell liquor, wine, and beer through a chain of retail stores...
, which had been advocated by his rivals. Klees ran as a grassroots candidate, arguing that the party had been the captive of unelected backroom consultants during the Harris and Eves years and had cut off not only party members but backbench
Backbencher
In Westminster parliamentary systems, a backbencher is a Member of Parliament or a legislator who does not hold governmental office and is not a Front Bench spokesperson in the Opposition...
MPPs.
Klees ran as a defender of the Common Sense Revolution but, unlike Flaherty, was not seen as a social conservative. He was the only candidate to argue in favour of "two tier" health care and privatization within medicare.
Process
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives use a system similar to that used by the federal Conservative Party of CanadaConservative Party of Canada
The Conservative Party of Canada , is a political party in Canada which was formed by the merger of the Canadian Alliance and the Progressive Conservative Party of Canada in 2003. It is positioned on the right of the Canadian political spectrum...
in its leadership election
Conservative Party of Canada leadership election, 2004
The 2004 Conservative Party of Canada leadership election took place on March 20, 2004 in Toronto, Ontario, and resulted in the election of Stephen Harper as the first leader of the new Canadian Conservative Party...
. Each provincial riding association
Riding association
In Canadian politics a riding association , officially called an electoral district association is the basic unit of a political party, that is it is the party's organization at the level of the electoral district, or "riding"...
has up to 100 Electoral Votes that will be allocated among the candidates by proportional representation
Proportional representation
Proportional representation is a concept in voting systems used to elect an assembly or council. PR means that the number of seats won by a party or group of candidates is proportionate to the number of votes received. For example, under a PR voting system if 30% of voters support a particular...
according to the votes cast by party members within the riding. This is not a pure "one member one vote" system since each riding generally has equal weight. (Ridings with fewer than 100 voting party members are allocated one Electoral Vote per voting member; ridings with 100 or more voting party members are allocated 100 Electoral Votes.)
This system is designed to favour candidates who can win support across the province and win in a majority of ridings. This replicates what is necessary for a party to win a general election - though without the "first past the post" feature of elections under the Westminster system
Westminster System
The Westminster system is a democratic parliamentary system of government modelled after the politics of the United Kingdom. This term comes from the Palace of Westminster, the seat of the Parliament of the United Kingdom....
. The party will use a preferential ballot
Preferential voting
Preferential voting is a type of ballot structure used in several electoral systems in which voters rank candidates in order of relative preference. For example, the voter may select their first choice as '1', their second preference a '2', and so on...
on which voters rank their choices. If no candidate wins a majority of Electoral Votes, then the third-place candidate is eliminated, and his votes are redistributed according to second-choice rankings.
Members could only vote in person on September 18, or at the September 13 advance poll, or by proxy. Mail-in, phone-in and Internet voting are not permitted. Only party members in good standing as of 6:00 p.m., EDT, August 7, 2004, were be eligible to vote. According to the party, there were 61,104 eligible voters, only 25,323 of whom cast ballots for a turnout of 41.4%.
Party president Blair McCreadie
Blair McCreadie
Blair Wilson McCreadie is the past president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. He was unopposed in his bid for the position, and was consequently acclaimed for a two year term on October 27, 2002 at the party's convention of that year....
announced that candidates would be under a spending cap of $1 million, which is less than the $1.5 million permitted in the last leadership contest.
The leadership election was administered by an impartial Leadership Election Committee chaired by McCreadie and co-chaired by MPP Julia Munro. The Chief Election Officer was Tom Barlow. There were four Deputy Chief Election Officers: Janet Carwardine, Barbara Cowieson, Murna Dalton and Allan Williams.
Result
Voting took place from 9am to 2pm. The first ballot results were announced shortly after 8pm. The second ballot results were announced shortly after 11:30 pm.First Ballot
- TORY, John, (12,132 votes) 4,535.13 electoral votes (45%)
- FLAHERTY, Jim, (7,951 votes) 3,274.92 electoral votes (33%)
- KLEES, Frank, (5,240 votes) 2,265.96 electoral votes (22%)
5,039 electoral votes needed to win
Second Ballot
- TORY, John (18,037 votes) 5,390.86 electoral votes (54%)
- FLAHERTY, Jim (14,353 votes) 4,664.14 electoral votes (46%)
5,028 electoral votes needed to win
See also
- Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventionsOntario Progressive Conservative leadership conventionsThis page lists the results of leadership elections within the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario .Before 1920, leaders of the Conservative Party were usually chosen by caucus...
- Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions, 1985Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership conventions, 1985In 1985, the Ontario Progressive Conservative Party held two leadership elections: one in January, and one in November.-The January Convention:The January convention was held at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto to choose a replacement for William Davis, who had served as Ontario PC leader and Premier...
- Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2002Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election, 2002The 2002 Ontario Progressive Conservative leadership election was a leadership election called in the fall of 2001 when Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Premier Mike Harris announced his intention to resign....