Stéphane Sarrazin is now a two-time winner in provincial politics.
Sarrazin keeps his seat as Glengarry-Prescott-Russell MPP at Queens Park in Toronto as part of Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative government’s third term in office, and third majority government. Sarrazin won his own re-election bid Thursday with 51.26 per cent of the popular vote after all 104 polls in the region reported in.
The last time an Ontario government formed three consecutive majorities was in 1959 under Progressive Conservative Leslie Frost.
“I feel very good, couldn’t feel any better,” said Sarrazin, enjoying the applause of several dozen supporters and well-wishers gathered at his Election Night campaign venue at the Place 1967 Restaurant in Plantagenet. “It means a lot that people have confidence in me.”
Sarrazin affirmed that his first priority when he returns to the provincial legislature is to start working on getting more financial support to deal with infrastructure improvements in his riding.
“Every municipality has needs,” he said.
During an earlier interview that evening, Sarrazin indicated that the first priority for the Ford government will be dealing with the tariff threat of U.S. President Donald Trump.
“Knocking on doors for the last month,” he said, “we found out what people are worried about. It’s Trump’s tariffs and the Trump administration putting pressure on the country.”
Stewart praises campaign team
Trevor Stewart, the Liberal candidate for the riding, placed second with 17,752 votes (37.11 per cent of the vote) in the GPR.
“Politics is a lot like hockey, when you have a rough game, you don’t blame it on your skates, you don’t blame it on the refs or the opposing team’s parents,” said Stewart at the Hammond Golf and Country Club, the site of his post election gathering. “You lace your skates back up and you get back on the ice and that’s exactly what we are going to do. We will not stop fighting for the people in our community.”
Stewart thanked his supporters for getting out there and voting, while making special mention to his family and parents for helping mold him into the man he has become.
He also thanked his campaign team, who was out there with him knocking on doors and talking to residents in less than idea weather conditions.
“The results tonight will not stop me from continuing to fight for my community,” said Stewart. “I will always go to bat for my community and do what is best for the people in my community.”
Final results
Elections Ontario’s official results show the Progressive Conservatives won a majority of 80 out of 124 seats in the provincial legislature with 42.97 per cent of the votes. The NDP had 27 seats, the Liberals 14 seats (returning them to official party status for this first time since 2018), the Green Party two seats, with one seat going to an Independent candidate. Voter turnout sat just above 45 per cent with 11,065,813 registered electors, as of Friday morning, Feb. 28.
In the GPR, Sarrazin received 24,518 votes, winning by a margin of 6,766 over Stewart, who received 17,752 votes. NDP candidate Ryder Finlay had 2,384 votes, Green candidate Thaila Riden 1,089 votes, New Blue Party candidate Félix Labrosse 971 votes, Ontario Party candidate Brandon Wallingford 800 votes, and Independent candidate Jason St-Louis 321 votes.
