McGuinty wins Liberal minority
Posted Oct 7, 2011 06:06:42 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
OTTAWA, Ont. – Supporters laughed and cheered as they packed the hall at the Chateau Laurier Hotel in Ottawa, where excitement was high following the news Dalton McGuinty and the Liberals had won a minority government.
Local Liberal candidates and their election teams began to arrive at the hotel soon after the victory, filling the already packed hall to capacity.
No Liberal premier has been able to win three straight terms in more than a century, a feat which Liberal MP and Dalton’s brother, David McGuinty, said makes him very proud.
Taking to the stage, Dalton McGuinty thanked his supporters and congratulated the opposition on a strong campaign.
“While we may not know for several days what the final results will be in all the ridings, we have succeeded in our goal of electing an experienced, Liberal goverment,” McGuinty told supporters during his victory speech.
The hotel hall was ready for a party, with flags set-up at the back of the stage, two big-screen TVs propped-up and two confetti-cannons set to shower the victor and his supporters.
McGuinty took his victory speech as an opportunity to set-out some of the Liberal mandates.
“We will move forward together to make education even stronger, because that’s the foundation of a dynamic economy in today’s highly-competitive world,” McGuinty said. “Foward together, to ensure quality healthcare is there for every Ontarian, because we understand we are in this together, and we need every single one of us at our very best.”
“The Ontario way is not about cutting people loose in difficult times, or dividing our province according to where we came from or how long we’ve been here, it’s about working and building together,” McGuinty said.
Earlier Thursday, with a smile on his face and his wife by his side, McGuinty cast his ballot in his home riding of Ottawa South.
McGuinty said he was feeling positive as he awaited the results.
“I’m satisfied that we’ve done everything that we could during the course of the campaign,” McGuinty said. “We’ve built a pretty strong record leading into that campaign.”
Video: Watch Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty vote in his Ottawa South riding
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The liberal leader spent the morning calling candidates and supporters and urging them to get out the vote.
McGuinty had a family reunion planned for the afternoon, before he and his family retired to the Chateau Laurier Hotel to await the results.
“It’s actually a really big occasion for me to bring my large and extended family together,” he said.
For an overview of the Liberal platform click here.
