PCs form a “majority” government with 43%* of the vote:

Ontario voters cheated again by first-past-the-post

Only 43% of Ontario voters supported the PCs, yet the voting system has handed Doug Ford’s PCs 64.5 % of the seats and 100% of the power.

The election results were a gross misrepresentation of what voters said with their ballots:

– The PCs got another landslide “majority” with just 43 % of the vote.

– The Liberal Party earned 29.9% of the popular vote but that got their voters only 14 seats.

– The NDP, by comparison, earned 18.6% of the vote, but got 27 seats and will form the official opposition again.

– Greens elected only two MPPs to represent the over 240,000 people (4.8%) who voted Green in Ontario.

Thresholds are common in countries with proportional systems and any PR system for Canada wouldn’t deliver perfectly proportional results. In an Ontario PR system with a 3% or 4% threshold, the results would have been:

Progressive Conservative: 55
Ontario Liberal Party: 38
NDP: 24
Green Party of Ontario: 6
Independent: 1

Voter turnout was 45.4%. That means the current “majority” government is supported by 20% of eligible voters. In a winner-take-all electoral system, many people feel they must vote for the lesser evil, or are discouraged from voting at all.

The Ontario NDP and Greens included proportional representation in their platforms. The Ontario Greens committed to proportional representation and a Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform to decide the system. The Ontario NDP committed to Mixed Member Proportional Representation.

It is disappointing that the Ontario Liberals would not commit to support the principle of proportional representation – that the seats in the legislature should closely match the popular support for parties among the voters. Proportional representation is fair to every voter, evidence-based, and has a strong track record around the world.

They also did not include a non-partisan Citizens’ Assembly on Electoral Reform to explore the options and hear from informed citizens, an idea Bonnie Crombie previously said she would support.

The outcome of this election proves yet again that it’s time for parties in Ontario to put their partisan self-interest aside and put voters first by supporting a fair and proportional voting system.

*Elections Ontario numbers as of (12 AM on February 28, 2025).

Fair Vote Canada