2015 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election
The 2015 Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario leadership election was held on May 9, 2015, as a result of the resignation of Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Tim Hudak following the provincial election on June 12, 2014, his second loss in a row as party leader. Patrick Brown won the leadership with 61.8% of votes allocated, defeating Christine Elliott who had 38.2%.
Rules and procedure
The party's 76,587 members were eligible to cast votes by preferential ballot. The vote will be weighted so that each of the province's 107 ridings that has more than 100 votes cast are allocated 100 electoral votes; ridings in which fewer than 100 party members vote will not be weighted, but will instead have the votes counted as individual votes. If at least 100 members votes in each riding the number of electoral college votes needed to win will be 5,351. The registration fee was $75,000 plus a refundable deposit of $25,000 and the spending limit was $1.25 million. 20% of money raised by candidates after the first $100,000 will be transferred to the PC Ontario Fund. The lowest ranked candidate will be dropped from the next round as ballots are counted, and the first candidate to get 50 per cent of the votes will be declared the new leader.Timeline
- June 12, 2014: General election results in the incumbent Liberals, led by Kathleen Wynne, being re-elected with a majority government and the Progressive Conservatives losing 9 seats. Party leader Tim Hudak announces his intention to resign as leader following the selection of his successor.
- June 16, 2014: Progressive Conservative caucus meets with a majority of MPPs asking Hudak to resign immediately.
- June 18, 2014: Hudak announces to the Progressive Conservative caucus that he will resign effective July 2, 2014.
- June 25, 2014: Christine Elliott announces her bid for the leadership of the Ontario PC Party.
- July 2, 2014: Ontario legislature convenes; Hudak's resignation will take effect; Progressive Conservative caucus chooses Jim Wilson as interim leader.
- July 5, 2014: The Progressive Conservative executive met to discuss the leadership and appointed a committee to consult the party membership and then draft recommendations for leadership campaign rules and propose a date for the election.
- Early August 2014: Party committee reports back to the executive with its proposals.
- August 9, 2014: Party executive announces that the leadership election will occur no earlier than April 1, 2015 and no later than May 31, 2015. The planning committee is given an additional six weeks to consult with party members on the rules of the election.
- September 17, 2014: Monte McNaughton declares his candidacy.
- September 21, 2014: Planning committee reports back to executive.
- September 24, 2014: Vic Fedeli declares his candidacy.
- September 28, 2014: Patrick Brown declares his candidacy.
- October 6, 2014: Lisa MacLeod declares her candidacy.
- November 8, 2014: Official campaign period begins.
- November 24, 2014: All-candidates debate in Sudbury.
- January 26, 2015: All-candidates debate in London.
- January 30, 2015 at 12 pm: Deadline for candidates to file nomination papers and pay first installment of $75,000 registration fee and $25,000 deposit.
- February 4, 2015: Fedeli withdraws from contest.
- February 6, 2015: MacLeod withdraws; final non-refundable $50,000 installment of candidate entry fee is due.
- February 11, 2015: All-candidates debate in Ottawa.
- February 28, 2015: Date by which one must become a member of the party and be eligible to vote in the leadership election.
- April 9, 2015: McNaughton withdraws; endorses Brown.
- May 1, 2015: Televised debate on TVO in Toronto
- May 3 & 7, 2015: Members cast preferential ballot for leader.
- May 8–9, 2015: Ballots counted.
- May 9, 2015: Results announced, riding by riding, between 10 am and noon at the Toronto Congress Centre.
Interim leadership
- Randy Hillier, MPP since 2007, variously Opposition Critic for Labour, Municipal Affairs and Housing, Rural Affairs, and Northern Development, Mines and Forestry.
- Jim Wilson, MPP since 1990, Opposition House Leader, previously Minister of Health, Minister of Energy, Science & Technology, Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Minister of Environment.
- John Yakabuski, MPP since 2003, has served as Chief Opposition Whip, Opposition House Leader and variously Opposition Critic for Community Safety and Energy.
Declared candidates
Patrick Brown">Patrick Brown (politician)">Patrick Brown
;BackgroundFederal Conservative Party MP for Barrie, Barrie City Councillor, President of the Progressive Conservative Youth Federation . Former vice-president of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario. Lawyer by profession.
;Supporters
- MPPs: Rick Nicholls, Jack MacLaren, Toby Barrett, Bob Bailey, Monte McNaughton
- MPs: Gord Brown, Paul Calandra, Rick Dykstra, Dave Mackenzie, Phil McColeman, Brad Butt, Chungsen Leung, Tim Uppal, Bal Gosal, Parm Gill, Kyle Seeback, Costas Menegakis, Mark Adler, Wladyslaw Lizon, Joe Daniel, Pierre Lemieux, Royal Galipeau, Dean Allison
- Senators: Don Meredith, Lynn Beyak, Salma Ataullahjan, Thanh Hai Ngo, Tobias Enverga, Victor Oh
- Municipal politicians: Sandie Bellow, Scott McPherson, Denzil Minnan-Wong, Sergio Morales, Ross Romano, Mat Siscoe
- Former MPPs: Steve Gilchrist, Jane McKenna, John Hastings, Dave Boushy
- Former MPs:
- Former Senators: Consiglio Di Nino, Vim Kochhar, Hugh Segal, Asha Seth
- Former municipal politicians: Joe DiPaola, Alex Nuttall
- Former candidates: Jeff Bennett, Andrew Ffrench, Kevin Gaudet, Nita Kang, Derek Parks, Roxanne Villeneuve
- Other prominent individuals: Derek Burney, Stuart Clark, Troy Crowder, Mike Gartner, Zack Goldford, Wayne Gretzky, Dale Hawerchuk, Darma Jain, Kris King, Gary Leeman, Narendra Modi, Alanna Newman, Laj Prasher, Mark Towhey, Devon White, Ken Zeise
- Organizations:
- Media: Paul Godfrey
- Policies:
[Christine Elliott]
MPP since 2006, Whitby—Oshawa. Deputy Leader of the Opposition and Critic for Health and Long-Term Care since 2009. Ran in the 2009 leadership election, placing third. Widow of former federal Minister of Finance Jim Flaherty. Prior to entering politics, Elliott was a lawyer who practiced corporate, estate and real estate law.
;Supporters
- MPPs: Ted Arnott, Todd Smith, Michael Harris, Norm Miller, Jeff Yurek, Sylvia Jones, Laurie Scott, Bill Walker, Lisa Thompson, Gila Martow, Ernie Hardeman, Vic Fedeli, Randy Pettapiece, Lisa MacLeod, Steve Clark, Julia Munro, Jim McDonell
- MPs: Chris Alexander, Bruce Stanton, Mike Wallace, Peter Kent, Erin O'Toole, Ed Holder, Michael Chong, Rob Nicholson, Kellie Leitch, Chungsen Leung, Costas Menegakis, Peter Braid, Daryl Kramp, Rick Norlock, Ted Opitz, Joe Preston, Bernard Trottier, Dave Van Kesteren, Terence Young, Pat Perkins, David Sweet, John Baird, John Carmichael, Lisa Raitt, Jay Aspin
- Senators: Nicole Eaton, Linda Frum, Marjory LeBreton
- Municipal politicians: Don Mitchell, Rob Ford
- Former MPPs: Bill Davis, Peter Shurman, Jerry Ouellette, Bart Maves, Wayne Wettlaufer, John O'Toole, Barb Fisher, Phil Gillies, Brad Clark, Joyce Savoline, Andy Brandt, Doug Holyday
- Former MPs:
- Former Senators:
- Former municipal politicians: Nancy Branscombe, Doug Ford, Hazel McCallion,
- Former candidates: Steve Black, Rick Byers, Liang Chen, Ken Kirupa, Todd McCarthy, David Ramalho, Chris Robson, Larry Scott, Farid Wassef, Tracey Weiler
- Other prominent individuals: Sally Barnes
- Organizations:
- Media:
- Policies:
Withdrawn
[Vic Fedeli]
;BackgroundMPP for Nipissing, Opposition Finance Critic, Energy Critic, Finance Critic, Fedeli served as mayor of North Bay, Ontario for two terms, during which he donated his entire salary to charity. Before entering politics, he ran Fedeli Advertising, which in 1989 was ranked by Profit - the magazine for Small Business as the firm 34th on its list of 50 Best Places to Work in Canada. Fedeli was also recognized as one of Canada's Most Successful Entrepreneurs in an episode of MoneyMakers, hosted by Everett Banning. Additionally, Fedeli served as the dollar-per-year chairman of a non-profit organization in North Bay. Fedeli's campaign is called "".
;Supporters
[Lisa MacLeod]
;BackgroundMPP for Nepean—Carleton, Opposition Treasury Board Critic, Energy and Francophone Affairs Critic, Education Critic, Revenue and Government Accountability Critic.
;Supporters
[Monte McNaughton]
;BackgroundMPP for Lambton—Kent—Middlesex, Opposition Critic for Citizenship, Immigration and International Trade, Labour Critic, Economic Development and Innovation Critic. Prior to entering provincial politics, McNaughton sat on the city council of Newbury and was general manager and co-owner of McNaughton Family Shopping Centre in Newbury. He also served as chair of the Newbury Economic Development Committee and was president of the Strathroy and District Chamber of Commerce in 2009–10.
;Supporters
Declined
- John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs and MP for Ottawa West—Nepean, former MPP and provincial cabinet minister. Endorsed Elliott
- Rick Byers, Bay Street executive and former federal and provincial candidate in Oakville. Endorsed Elliott
- Michael Chong, MP for Wellington—Halton Hills, federal Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, President of the Queen's Privy Council for Canada, and Minister of Sport. Endorsed Elliott
- Richard Ciano, President of the Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario.
- Tony Clement, federal President of the Treasury Board and MP for Parry Sound—Muskoka, former MPP and provincial cabinet minister.
- Rick Dykstra, MP for St. Catharines. Endorsed Brown.
- Doug Ford, Toronto City Councillor, and runner-up 2014 Toronto mayoral election. Endorsed Elliott
- Randy Hillier, MPP for Lanark—Frontenac—Lennox and Addington.
- Kellie Leitch, federal Minister of Labour and MP for Simcoe—Grey. Endorsed Elliott
- Rod Phillips, former chair of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corporation, chair of Postmedia Network Inc. and the Greater Toronto CivicAction Alliance.
- Lisa Raitt, federal Minister of Transport and MP for Halton. Endorsed Elliott
Results
| Candidate | Weighted votes | Percentage |
| Patrick Brown | 6,543 | 61.8 |
| Christine Elliott | 4,040 | 38.2 |
| Total | 10,583 | 100 |
Eligible voters: 76,587; turnout: 49.3%
Riding results
| 905 | 905 | 905 | 905 | 905 |
| Riding | MPP/MP | Brown | Elliott | Total |
| Hamilton & Niagara | Hamilton & Niagara | Hamilton & Niagara | Hamilton & Niagara | Hamilton & Niagara |
| Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale | MP: David Sweet | 55 | 45 | 100 |
| Brant | MP: Phil McColeman | 70 | 30 | 100 |
| Haldimand-Norfolk | MPP: Toby Barrett MP: Diane Finley | 71 | 29 | 100 |
| Hamilton Centre | 70 | 30 | 100 | |
| Hamilton East-Stoney Creek | 72 | 28 | 100 | |
| Hamilton Mountain | 81 | 19 | 100 | |
| Niagara Falls | MP: Rob Nicholson | 43 | 57 | 100 |
| Niagara West-Glanbrook | MPP: Tim Hudak MP: Dean Allison | 64 | 36 | 100 |
| St. Catharines | MP: Rick Dykstra | 70 | 30 | 100 |
| Welland | 68 | 32 | 100 | |
| Peel & Halton | Peel & Halton | Peel & Halton | Peel & Halton | Peel & Halton |
| Bramalea-Gore-Malton | MP: Bal Gosal | 76 | 24 | 100 |
| Brampton-Springdale | MP: Parm Gill | 67 | 33 | 100 |
| Brampton West | MP: Kyle Seeback | 72 | 28 | 100 |
| Mississauga-Brampton South | MP: Eve Adams | 81 | 19 | 100 |
| Mississauga East-Cooksville | MP: Wladyslaw Lizon | 88 | 12 | 100 |
| Mississauga-Erindale | MP: Bob Dechert | 75 | 25 | 100 |
| Mississauga South | MP: Stella Ambler | 48 | 52 | 100 |
| Mississauga-Streetsville | MP: Brad Butt | 74 | 26 | 100 |
| Burlington | MP: Mike Wallace | 41 | 59 | 100 |
| Halton | MP: Lisa Raitt | 68 | 32 | 100 |
| Oakville | MP: Terence Young | 44 | 56 | 100 |
| York & Simcoe | York & Simcoe | York & Simcoe | York & Simcoe | York & Simcoe |
| Markham-Unionville | 87 | 13 | 100 | |
| Newmarket-Aurora | MP: Lois Brown | 64 | 36 | 100 |
| Oak Ridges-Markham | MP: Paul Calandra | 74 | 26 | 100 |
| Richmond Hill | MP: Costas Menegakis | 72 | 28 | 100 |
| Thornhill | MPP: Gila Martow MP: Peter Kent | 52 | 48 | 100 |
| Vaughan | 59 | 41 | 100 | |
| York-Simcoe | MPP: Julia Munro MP: Peter Van Loan | 71 | 29 | 100 |
| Barrie | MP: Patrick Brown | 89 | 11 | 100 |
| Simcoe-Grey | MPP: Jim Wilson MP: Kellie Leitch | 65 | 35 | 100 |
| Simcoe North | MPP: Garfield Dunlop MP: Bruce Stanton | 48 | 52 | 100 |
| Durham | Durham | Durham | Durham | Durham |
| Ajax-Pickering | MP: Chris Alexander | 54 | 46 | 100 |
| Durham | MP: Erin O'Toole | 36 | 64 | 100 |
| Oshawa | MP: Colin Carrie | 48 | 52 | 100 |
| Pickering-Scarborough East | MP: Corneliu Chisu | 66 | 34 | 100 |
| Whitby-Oshawa | MPP: Christine Elliott MP: Pat Perkins | 27 | 73 | 100 |
| Southwestern Ontario | Southwestern Ontario | Southwestern Ontario | Southwestern Ontario | Southwestern Ontario |
| Riding | MPP/MP | Brown | Elliott | Total |
| Kitchener-Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo | Kitchener-Waterloo |
| Cambridge | MP: Gary Goodyear | 61 | 39 | 100 |
| Guelph | 56 | 44 | 100 | |
| Kitchener Centre | MP: Stephen Woodworth | 50 | 50 | 100 |
| Kitchener-Conestoga | MPP: Michael Harris MP: Harold Albrecht | 53 | 47 | 100 |
| Kitchener-Waterloo | MP: Peter Braid | 58 | 42 | 100 |
| Wellington-Halton Hills | MPP: Ted Arnott MP: Michael Chong | 53 | 47 | 100 |
| London | London | London | London | London |
| Elgin-Middlesex-London | MPP: Jeff Yurek MP: Joe Preston | 49 | 51 | 100 |
| London-Fanshawe | 75 | 25 | 100 | |
| London North Centre | MP: Susan Truppe | 66 | 34 | 100 |
| London West | MP: Ed Holder | 67 | 33 | 100 |
| Windsor-Essex | Windsor-Essex | Windsor-Essex | Windsor-Essex | Windsor-Essex |
| Chatham-Kent-Essex | MPP: Rick Nicholls MP: Dave Van Kesteren | 73 | 27 | 100 |
| Essex | MP: Jeff Watson | 75 | 25 | 100 |
| Windsor-Tecumseh | 80 | 20 | 100 | |
| Windsor West | 89 | 11 | 100 | |
| Rural | Rural | Rural | Rural | Rural |
| Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound | MPP: Bill Walker MP: Larry Miller | 46 | 54 | 100 |
| Dufferin-Caledon | MPP: Sylvia Jones MP: David Tilson | 57 | 43 | 100 |
| Huron-Bruce | MPP: Lisa Thompson MP: Ben Lobb | 52 | 48 | 100 |
| Lambton-Kent-Middlesex | MPP: Monte McNaughton MP: Bev Shipley | 85 | 15 | 100 |
| Oxford | MPP: Ernie Hardeman MP: Dave Mackenzie | 46 | 54 | 100 |
| Perth-Wellington | MPP: Randy Pettapiece MP: Gary Schellenberger | 57 | 43 | 100 |
| Sarnia-Lambton | MPP: Bob Bailey MP: Pat Davidson | 71 | 29 | 100 |