With the Conservatives securing a third majority government, Queen’s students are split on what this means for Ontario’s future.
Following the outcome of the Feb. 27 provincial election, Premier Doug Ford has secured his third consecutive majority, holding onto power since 2018 as the Progressive Conservatives claimed 80 of 124 seats in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario. The Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP) retained official opposition status with 27 seats, with the Liberals falling behind them at 14. An Independent and the Greens won one and two seats, respectively.
Locally, Ted Hsu won his reelection campaign with 33,288 votes or 61.6 per cent of Kingstonians , beating Progressive Conservative opponent Ian Chapelle who won 22.2 per cent of the vote, and Queen’s PhD student and NDP candidate Elliot Goodell Ugalde who won 12.3 per cent of voters.
READ MORE: Ted Hsu re-elected MPP for Kingston and the Islands
The Queen’s University Liberal Association (QULA) worked for Hsu’s re-election, with the group hosting booths and door knocking for Hsu’s campaign. In an interview with The Journal, QULA President Jacob Johnston, ArtSci ’25, reflected on the election’s aftermath and the issues he sees with Ford’s re-election.
“I don’t think Doug Ford has presented a credible plan on climate change since he’s been elected in 2018, so I expect more of the same inaction […] Doug Ford in the campaign [also] presented no credible solutions to the chronic underfunding of Ontario post-secondary institutions and so I expect more of the same on that,” Johnston said.
Johnston also criticized Ford’s plan to build a tunnel under Highway 401 as a solution to gridlock within the Greater Toronto Area. He believes the tunnel funds could be better spent elsewhere, like on healthcare or education, unsure if it will actually tackle traffic congestion.
With the Liberals winning about 18 per cent more of the popular vote, the NDP secured 13 more seats. Still, Johnston is pleased the Ontario Liberal Party has regained official party status—requiring at least 12 seats—which grants them speaking time in Parliament and spots on standing committees.
While Johnston sees the election as an unfortunate event, other students like Jack Cowan, ArtSci ’27, are content with the result.
“Doug Ford’s win isn’t only a victory for the future of Ontario, but Canada in turn. Ontario’s main issues, for majority agreed on by both sides as healthcare, housing, infrastructure and southern implemented tariffs,” Cowan said in a statement to The Journal.
Cowan outlined specific ways he thinks Ford is making positive changes, outlining some of the commitments he’s made in the past.
“Ford is building 1.5 million homes by 2031, creating not only housing but jobs in turn. Investing 85 billion dollars in healthcare, outside of Quebec, sures the entire country combined, a 14 per cent increase from the prior year,” Cowan said.
Johnston credited Ford for his handling of tariffs between Canada and the United States but criticized the Conservative campaign for making it a central issue, arguing it’s best handled at the federal level. Both students agreed Ford’s approach to U.S. tariffs was the most appropriate reaction.
Given the Conservative majority, it’s possible the next provincial election won’t be called for another four years.
Tags
All final editorial decisions are made by the Editor(s) in Chief and/or the Managing Editor. Authors should not be ed, targeted, or harassed under any circumstances. If you have any grievances with this article, please direct your comments to [email protected].