MPP Dave Smith Named Ontario PC Party Candidate In Next Provincial Election For Peterborough-Kawartha

Peterborough-Kawartha MPP Dave Smith is going for a third consecutive term as he has been acclaimed as the Ontario PC party’s candidate in the next provincial general election, announced on Thursday.

Photo by Luke Best.

Smith earned his second term in a back-to-back after being re-elected in 2022 with 20,188 votes which is 38.5 percent of the ballots. Gary Stewart was the last Conservative MPP for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding to get elected for consecutive terms from 1995-2003.

Smith was declared the winner 38 minutes after the polls had closed. Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to a second term 11 minutes after polls closed. They earned a majority government seven minutes later.

“I want to thank the great people of Peterborough Kawartha for putting their trust in me to once again carry the banner for Premier Ford and the Progressive Conservatives in the next provincial election,” said Smith. “We have accomplished so much over the last seven years but my work is not yet finished. I want to thank my family for their unwavering support and all of my friends who have rallied around me to help make life better for everyone in our region.”

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MPP Dave Smith Elected For Second Term In Provincial Election

It’s four more years for Conservative candidate and MPP Dave Smith as he won the 2022 Peterborough-Kawartha Riding for the provincial election held on Thursday night.

Dave Smith earns back-to-back terms for the Conservative Party. Gary Stewart was the last Conservative MPP for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding to get elected for consecutive terms from 1995-2003. Photo by Luke Best.

Smith won the riding with 20,188 votes, getting a 38.5 per cent share of the ballots. This win marks the start of his second term as MPP.

"Anytime you're an elected official, the whole goal is to help the people that have put you there," said Smith. "For this many people to step forward once again and say, 'we like what you've done, we believe in you, please represent us again,' it's a very humbling experience."

Smith held his election party at the Peterborough Golf & Country Club that had a small and quiet crowd in the final hour before ballots closed at 9 p.m. EST.

The crowd picked up to roughly 80 people once ballots were being counted. It only took 38 minutes since the polls closed before Smith was declared the winner. There were chants of ‘four more years’ and a loud cheer once the result was in.

"When we went out there with Covid, I tried listening to what the challenges were," said Smith. "People recognized that I was there in their corner in a tough time and I was trying to do things that were going to make life better for them."

Smith’s victory was a stepping stone for the Conservative Party as Premier Doug Ford was re-elected to a second term 11 minutes after polls closed. They earned a majority government seven minutes later.

"I think people were happy with what we did over the last four years," said Smith. "They recognized that Premier Ford has a heart of gold and his whole intent is for the people of Ontario.”

Smith says ‘the work is not done yet’ as he has several issues he wants to tackle after being re-elected. He says he has a start on addressing the healthcare challenges in the province by rebuilding the economy and getting people jobs first.

"When the economy is moving well, we have more money as government to do all of the extra things we need to support people," he said.

Smith notes that more work needs to be done in healthcare, long-term care, education skills trades, natural resources, forestry and Indigenous affairs.

All photos by Luke Best.

The following were the results of the Peterborough-Kawartha Riding:

• Dave Smith (Conservative) - 20,188 votes (38.5 per cent)

• Greg Dempsey (Liberal) - 16,021 votes (30.6 per cent)

• Jen Deck (New Democratic) - 11,210 votes (21.4 per cent)

• Tom Morazzo (Ontario Party) - 1,973 votes (3.8 per cent)

• Robert Gibson (Green) - 1,914 votes (3.7 per cent)

• Rebecca Quinnell (New Blue) - 1,078 votes (2.1 per cent)

Dempsey made a brief visit congratulating Smith’s win while Deck and Gibson spent a longer amount of time with the Conservative candidate after his win.

Ontario Liberal Steven Del Duca lost his hometown riding of Vaughan-Woodbridge and stepped down as leader. He lost to Michael Tibollo who defeated him back in 2018.

NDP’s Andrea Horwath resigned as leader however the party remains as the official opposition. She won her riding of Hamilton Centre in a landslide by nearly 12,000 votes (57.3 per cent share).

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Ballots Are Filling Up For Peterborough Kawartha Provincial Election

Ahead of the June Provincial election, most major parties in Peterborough-Kawartha have announced their candidates.

Queens Park. Stock Photo.

The Peterborough-Kawartha riding association of the Ontario NDP has announced Jen Deck as nomination candidate for the upcoming election.

Deck is a teacher and the Occasional Teacher President of the Kawartha Pine Ridge Teachers’ Local of the Elementary Teachers Federation Ontario (ETFO).

A nomination meeting will be held on Thursday to confirm Deck as candidate.

Robert Gibson has been announced Green party candidate.

Gibson is a regular contributor to The Arthur, Trent Universities newspaper, and also hosts a show on Trent Radio called “Environmental Soup”. His show focuses on both environmental and social issues.

Gibson studied environmental science and environmental studies at Trent University from 2018 to 2020.

Greg Dempsey was announced the Liberal Party candidate in November 2021.

Dempsey is a Peterborough native, has served in the Canadian Foreign Service, represented Canada at the UN in New York, at the Human Rights Council in Geneva, and in Kabul, Afghanistan.

Tom Marazzo, a spokesperson during the Freedom Convoy protests in Ottawa and former Canadian military member is the candidate for the Ontario Party.

Dylan Smith, a pension administrative assistant, is running in Peterborough-Kawartha for the None of the Above Party. The None of the Above party was formed as a response to party members displeasure with all political parties.

Progressive Conservative Incumbent Dave Smith will also be on the ballot.

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MP Michelle Ferreri Issues Statement Regarding Erin O'Toole's Removal of the Conservative Party

Several hours after the Conservatives voted Erin' O’Toole out as the party leader, Michelle Ferreri, Peterborough Kawartha MP issued a statement thanking him for his service on Wednesday.

Ferreri (left) defeated former Liberal candidate Maryam Monsef in the federal election on Sep. 20 last year. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Ferreri posted her statement on social media as O’Toole lost the vote 73 to 45 in favour of being removed on Wednesday afternoon. The caucus was held virtually in a secret ballot to determine the former leader’s status.

“I would like to thank Erin O’Toole, his family and his staff for their service and their sacrifices made over the last 18 months,” said Ferreri in the statement. “He has been a strong mentor and a model of commitment for our Conservative team.”

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A post shared by Michelle Ferreri (@michelleferrerimp)

A new interim leader will be chosen Wednesday evening and the caucus will choose a new candidate to lead the party.

Whoever is elected cannot become the Conservative leader when a permanent position gets established.

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Conservative Candidate Michelle Ferreri Wins Riding In Her First Election

First time is the charm for Conservative candidate Michelle Ferreri as she became the MP for the Peterborough-Kawartha riding on Monday.

Ferreri still in disbelief about her win shortly after giving her victory speech. Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Ferreri beat out the former incumbent and runner-up Maryam Monsef of the Liberal Party who served as Peterborough’s MP since 2015. The winner was declared a few hours after the polls had closed around 9:30 p.m. The two parties were separated by more than 3,000 votes.

The Douro native had a small group of supporters congratulating her at The Venue when she had arrived shortly after 11:00 p.m. Ferreri said it was surreal when she found out she won her riding.

“I still don’t actually believe it,” said Ferreri. “I didn’t think we were going to have results until Wednesday so I still haven’t fully processed this right now.”

She attributed her victory to the amount of support she had, citing that she did not win but that “we” won. Ferreri added that it was not the campaign that necessarily got her the seat but it was her legacy she built that earned her the victory.

“I don’t think I did anything in 36 days, I think I did it in the last 42 years,” reflected Ferreri.

Ferreri celebrates with her partner Ryan Moore. Ferreri is a graduate of Trent University (Biology/Anthropology) and Loyalist College (Biotechnology). Photo by David Tuan Bui.

Monsef arrived outside the Venue doors to congratulate Ferreri in a brief conversation shortly after the Conservative candidate was declared the winner. The former incumbent was happy to see several women on the ballot this election.

Ferreri won 39 per cent of the votes after 287 of 289 reported polls. Monsef earned 34 per cent while NDP candidate Joy Lachica received 19 per cent.

“There’s just a lot of work to do… …but we can do it, we’re going to do it together,” said Ferreri.

The Liberals successfully held a minority government as party leader Justin Trudeau will remain Prime Minister of Canada.

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Federal Candidate Interview: Conservative Candidate Michelle Ferreri

Angela O’Grady speaks with the Conservative federal candidate Michelle Ferreri for the upcoming election. We answer community-submitted questions surrounding her stance on climate change, vaccine passports, the housing crisis and small businesses.

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