1981 Ontario general election


The 1981 Ontario general election was held on March 19, 1981, to elect members of the 32nd Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada.
The governing Ontario Progressive Conservative Party, led by Bill Davis, was re-elected for a twelfth consecutive term in office. The PCs finally won a majority government after winning only minorities in the 1975 and 1977 elections. The Liberal Party, led by Stuart Smith, was able to maintain its standing in the Legislature, while the New Democratic Party, led by Michael Cassidy, lost a significant number of seats, allowing the Tories to win a majority.

Campaign

CandidatesPCLibLLNDPIndCommLtnSCTotal
38280282246
4313131101083124
5888762140
622241112
722261114
Total125123212527181231436

A number of unregistered parties also fielded candidates in this election.
There were a number of Rhinoceros Party candidates in the Toronto area, and the party may have also fielded candidates elsewhere in the province. The Workers Communist Party a single candidate, Judy Darcy. Ronald G. Rodgers, founder of the Détente Party of Canada, contested a Toronto constituency.
Social Credit leader Reg Gervais announced prior to the election that he planned to run in Nickel Belt, but could not follow through and resigned at a meeting of nominated candidates where John Turmel was appointed interim leader of the Ontario Social Credit Party during the campaign, though there has never been independent confirmation of this.

Results

! colspan=2 rowspan=2 | Political party
! rowspan=2 | Party leader
! colspan=4 | MPPs
! colspan=4 | Votes
! Candidates
!1977
!1981
!±
!#
! ±
!%
! ±
! colspan="3" style="text-align:left;" | Total
! " colspan="2"|125
! " colspan="2"|3,182,484
! " colspan="2"| 100.00%

Analysis

Parties1st2nd3rd4th5th
704114
336327
212183
11
183
126
102
3
1

Seats changing hands

Eighteen seats changed allegiance in this election:
;PC to Liberal
;Liberal to PC
;NDP to PC
;NDP to PC

MPPs elected by region and riding

Party designations are as follows:
;Northern Ontario
;Ottawa Valley
;Saint Lawrence Valley
;Central Ontario
;Georgian Bay
;Hamilton/Halton/Niagara
;Midwestern Ontario
;Southwestern Ontario
;Peel/York/Durham
;Metropolitan Toronto

Constituency results

Algoma:
Algoma—Manitoulin:
  • John Lane 7160
  • Ernest Massicotte 2986
  • Peter Boychuk 2336
Armourdale:
Beaches—Woodbine:
Bellwoods:
  • Ross McClellan 5111
  • Walter Bardyn 4746
  • Tina Gabriel 2186
  • Sylvie Baillargeon 246
  • Ronald G. Rodgers 180
Brampton:
Brantford:
Brant—Oxford—Haldimand:
Brock:
  • Bob Welch 10547
  • Bill Andres 6882
  • Heather Lee Kilty 4204
Burlington South:
  • George Kerr 19037
  • Pearl Cameron 8953
  • Michael C. Wright 4942
Cambridge:
Carleton:
Carleton East:
Carleton-Grenville:
Chatham—Kent:
Cochrane North:
  • René Piché 5910
  • Jean-Paul Bourgeault 5722
  • Emil Touchette 4426
  • Richard Coatsworth 274
Cochrane South:
  • Alan Pope 12540
  • John Sullivan 6975
  • Cliff Simpson 2777
Cornwall:
Don Mills:
Dovercourt:
Downsview:
Dufferin—Simcoe:
Durham East:
  • Sam Cureatz 14900
  • Bruce McArthur 8648
  • Jim Potticary 7226
  • Jeff Hubbell 253
Durham West:
  • George Ashe 17029
  • Norman Wei 7446
  • Hugh Peacock 6578
  • Bill Leslie 1215
Durham—York:
Eglinton:
  • Roy McMurtry 17386
  • Keith Polson 5606
  • Eileen Elmy 3324
  • Angelo R. Cosentini 466
Elgin:
  • Ron McNeil 13119
  • Maurice Dillon 7306
  • Gord Campbell 3250
Erie:
Essex North:
Essex South:
Etobicoke:
Fort William:
Frontenac—Addington:
  • J. Earl McEwen 10558
  • Murray Gorham 10218
  • Vincent Maloney 2374
  • Ross Baker 409
  • Sally Hayes 322
Grey:
  • Bob McKessock 13334
  • John Young 8793
  • Joan Stone 1629
  • Eric Biggins 284
Grey—Bruce:
Haldimand—Norfolk:
Halton—Burlington:
Hamilton Centre:
Hamilton East:
Hamilton Mountain:
Hamilton West:
  • Stuart Smith 12106
  • Alec Murray 9788
  • Joy Warner 4255
  • Elizabeth Rowley 260
Hastings—Peterborough:
High Park—Swansea:
Humber:
Huron—Bruce:
Huron—Middlesex:
Kenora:
Kent—Elgin:
Kingston and the Islands:
Kitchener:
Kitchener—Wilmot:
Lake Nipigon:
Lambton:
Lanark—Renfrew:
Lakeshore:
  • Al Kolyn 10607
  • Don Sullivan 9375
  • Bill Whelton 5738
  • Gordon Flowers 376
Leeds:
Lincoln:
London Centre:
London North:
London South:
Middlesex:
Mississauga East:
  • Bud Gregory 15759
  • Murray Schelter 7716
  • Doug Bennett 4829
Mississauga North:
Mississauga South:
Muskoka:
Niagara Falls:
Nickel Belt:
Nipissing:
Northumberland:
Oakville:
Oakwood:
  • Tony Grande 8862
  • Harriet Wolman 5961
  • Jean Gammage 4171
  • Nan McDonald 624
Oriole:
Oshawa:
Ottawa Centre:
Ottawa East:
  • Albert J. Roy 14207
  • Omer Deslauriers 4235
  • Danielle Page 1905
  • Serge Girard 177
Ottawa South:
Ottawa West:
  • Reuben Baetz 17418
  • George Anderson 9112
  • Lofty MacMillan 2348
  • Dale E. Alkerton 494
Oxford:
Parkdale:
Parry Sound:
  • Ernie Eves 8955
  • Richard Thomas 8949
  • Arthur Davis 1448
Perth:
Peterborough:
Port Arthur:
  • Jim Foulds 12258
  • Allan Laakkonen 10844
  • Kenneth R. Tilson 3247
  • Dennis Deveau 140
  • Paul Pugh 103
Prescott and Russell:
Prince Edward—Lennox:
Quinte:
Rainy River:
Renfrew North:
  • Sean Conway 9113
  • Bryan D. Hocking 7137
  • Phil Chester 1086
Renfrew South:
Riverdale:
  • Jim Renwick 6770
  • Peter Hesky 4088
  • Ed Schofield 3237
  • Thelma R. Forsyth 233
  • Anna Sideris 158
St. Andrew—St. Patrick:
  • Larry Grossman 10674
  • Anne Johnston 6839
  • Stanley E. Kutz 3709
  • Judy Darcy 262
  • Jeanne McGuire 148
  • Sophia M. Firth 106
St. Catharines:
St. David:
St. George:
Sarnia:
Sault Ste. Marie:
  • Russ Ramsay 14712
  • Albert Ferranti 7555
  • Susan Brothers 7162
Scarborough Centre:
  • Frank Drea 12793
  • Paul Rook 4898
  • Kurt Christensen 4657
  • D’Arcy Cain 531
Scarborough East:
Scarborough—Ellesmere:
Scarborough North:
Scarborough West:
Simcoe Centre:
Simcoe East:
  • Al McLean 12487
  • Fayne Bullen 9085
  • Jack Harber 7320
  • Ted Wolda 749
Stormont—Dundas and Glengarry:
Sudbury:
Sudbury East:
  • Elie Martel 13883
  • George McDonald 9420
  • Esther Davidson 4909
Timiskaming:
Victoria—Haliburton:
Waterloo North:
Welland—Thorold:
  • Mel Swart 13379
  • Al Lacavera 7916
  • Ivy Riddell 5564
Wellington—Dufferin—Peel:
  • Jack Johnson 16644
  • Elbert van Donkersgoed 8136
  • Marion Chambers 4650
Wellington South:
  • Harry Worton 16237
  • Peter Mercer 7917
  • Terry Crowley 5934
  • Lynne Hulley 224
Wentworth:
Wentworth North:
Wilson Heights:
Windsor—Riverside:
  • Dave Cooke 13626
  • Gerry Levesque 9102
  • Sandy Thomson 4418
  • John H. Snyder 333
Windsor—Sandwich:
Windsor—Walkerville:
  • Bernard Newman 10553
  • Ray Simpson 4988
  • Tom Porter 3428
  • Gerard O’Neil 238
York Centre:
York East:
  • Robert Elgie 14562
  • Lois Cox 4935
  • Don McNeill 4811
  • Ed McDonald 628
  • E. Scott Hughes 460
York Mills:
York North:
York South:
Yorkview:
York West:
  • Nick Leluk 18501
  • Michael Eagen 10228
  • Pauline Durning 2865
  • Don Douloff 538

Post-election changes

Hamilton West: Stuart Smith resigned his legislative seat on January 25, 1982, and a by-election was called for June 17, 1982.
York South: Donald C. MacDonald resigned his legislative seat in 1982, and a by-election was called for November 4, 1982.
Stormont—Dundas and Glengarry: Osie Villeneuve died in 1983, and a by-election has called on December 15, 1983:
Frontenac—Addington: Liberal MPP J. Earl McEwen crossed the floor to join the Progressive Conservatives in 1984.
Hamilton Centre: Sheila Copps resigned her legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:
Ottawa Centre: Michael Cassidy resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984.
Ottawa East: Albert J. Roy resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:
Prescott and Russell: Don Boudria resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:
Wentworth North: Eric Cunningham resigned his legislative seat in 1984, and a by-election was held on December 13, 1984:
Riverdale: Jim Renwick died in 1984.
Kitchener: Jim Breithaupt resigned in 1984.
Rainy River: T. Patrick Reid resigned in 1984.
Eglinton: Roy McMurtry resigned his seat in 1985 to take a government position in the United Kingdom.