On February 27, 2025, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie stood on stage at her campaign headquarters in Mississauga to speak to her supporters after the provincial election. The Canadian Press
In late 2023, Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie set a clear goal. She promised to turn every seat in Peel Region from blue (Progressive Conservative) to red (Liberal). But in her first provincial election, Crombie faced an unexpected setback. She failed to win her own riding of Mississauga-East Cooksville.
"I know tonight isn't exactly the result we were looking for, but you should be very, very proud of what we did tonight," Crombie told her supporters at the Liberal headquarters. Despite her defeat, she urged her team to stay proud of their efforts.
Her loss was one of many close races in the Greater Toronto Area on election night. CBC News reported that three ridings were still too close to call. The results were narrow, and mail-in ballots had yet to be counted. The six ridings that will take more time to determine the winner are:
- Mississauga-Erin Mills: The Progressive Conservatives (PCs) led by just 20 votes.
- Ajax: The Liberals led by 331 votes.
- York South-Weston: The PCs led by 144 votes.
- Humber River-Black Creek: The NDP candidate led by 198 votes.
- Eglinton-Lawrence: Over 1,900 vote-by-mail kits had been sent out.
- Burlington: The PC candidate led by only 40 votes.
While these close races continued to unfold, other political leaders had clear victories. Premier Doug Ford comfortably won his riding of Etobicoke North, continuing his leadership. The Progressive Conservatives also achieved a major win, securing a rare third straight majority.
NDP Leader Marit Stiles, on the other hand, won her riding of Davenport. She expressed joy at her party's success and emphasized that the NDP would continue to serve as the official Opposition. Despite the overall election results, Stiles made a promise to hold Premier Ford’s government accountable on key issues, such as affordability and healthcare.
The PCs were dominant in the 905 region, securing a stronghold in areas like Brampton and Vaughan. In Vaughan, PC candidate Stephen Lecce received 64.2% of the vote in King-Vaughan. The PCs also held several ridings north of Highway 401.
However, in the denser areas of the city, the results were different. In Etobicoke-Lakeshore, the Liberals made an upset by defeating PC incumbent Christine Hogarth. Hogarth had been vocal about her opposition to the Bloor Street bike lane, a project that the Ford government planned to remove.
In Toronto's downtown, the NDP continued to hold onto key ridings, re-electing Kristyn Wong-Tam, Chris Glover, Jessica Bell, and Peter Tabuns. But the Liberals also gained some ground. In Toronto-St. Paul's, former CP24 broadcaster Stephanie Smythe won the seat for the Liberals.
Nearby Don Valley remained a Liberal stronghold. Stephanie Bowman, Adil Shamji, and Jonathan Tsao all secured wins in the area, keeping their seats within the party’s control.
In summary, Premier Doug Ford and his PCs took a strong lead in the suburbs and northern ridings, while the Liberals and NDP made gains in Toronto’s urban core. Crombie’s defeat in Mississauga was one of the night’s surprises, but both major opposition parties vowed to continue fighting for key issues in the province.
