Toronto's and Ontario's top political leaders tried to use Tuesday's federal election results to push their respective agendas as the Conservatives held onto power with a second minority government.

Premier Dalton McGuinty, a Liberal, hoped the province's 106 MPs -- 51 Tories, 38 Liberals, 17 NDP -- would carry the same message to Ottawa.

"Stand up for us. Stand up for our province. Stand up for your province. Stand up for Ontario. Stand up for the families who elected you," he said Wednesday in Toronto.

McGuinty had tried to make fair treatment of Ontario an election issue, arguing that Ontario taxpayers pay out $23 billion more in taxes than they get back in services from the feds.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper hasn't been sympathetic to McGuinty's argument, saying his government has worked to resolve the fiscal imbalance between the federal and provincial governments.

Ontario's manufacturing base has been eroded in recent years by troubles in the auto sector. A rising Canadian dollar and increasing energy costs are two factors. More than 200,000 manufacturing jobs have disappeared and more might be at risk.

McGuinty said Harper can help Ontario's economy by working with the province to fund new highways, public transit and other infrastructure.

"It's not just a matter of me running in there like a bull in a china shop and saying, 'I'm here on behalf of 13 million (people)," he said.

"But I think they understand that if the country's going to work well, if we're going to be at our very best, then we need to have a good working relationship."

Various Conservative ministers from Ontario have taken shots at the McGuinty government in the past.

House Leader Peter Van Loan, MP for York-Simcoe, called McGuinty the "small man of Confederation" for complaining that proposed federal legislation would leave Ontario with fewer seats in the House of Commons than its population should warrant.

Finance Minister Jim Flaherty, MP for Whitby-Oshawa, once said: "If you're going to make a new business investment in Canada, and you're concerned about taxes, the last place you will go is the province of Ontario.''

Both ministers were re-elected on Tuesday.

The Conservatives were shut out of Toronto (the Liberals took 21 seats and the NDP two), but Mayor David Miller hopes that Harper realizes the city's economy is vitally important to Canada.

Miller said he will resume his campaign to get the federal government to transfer one per cent of the GST to cities to fund public transit. He also said Harper must come up with funds for infrastructure and affordable housing.

"I certainly hope that the government that did get elected understands that investing in Canada's cities is about the success of our country, particularly in tough economic times," he said.

Canada's premiers will be meeting with Harper next week to discuss the economic fallout from the recent global credit crisis, which has hammered global stock markets and made it very difficult for businesses to obtain loans.
 
The vote

Some Torontonians expressed frustration on Wednesday that Canada spent $290 million on a federal election that didn't seem to be necessary and didn't change very much.

Harper triggered the election on Sept. 7, saying Parliament had become dysfunctional.

There were about 8.7 million Ontarians who could have voted on Tuesday, but only 5.2 million actually went to the polls to exercise their franchise -- a turnout of 59 per cent.

Nationally, the turnout was about the same -- and that is the worst turnout in 40 Canadian general elections. The previous low-turnout mark was 60 per cent, reached in 2004. The record high was reached in 1958, when about 80 per cent of eligible

Some city residents buttonholed by CTV Toronto gave the following as excuses:

  • They don't know anything about politics
  • The parties aren't that different

University of Toronto political scientist Stephen Clarkson said many voters think politicians are corrupt and that their vote won't make a difference.

To shift the trend, the rules might have to be changed to make voting compulsory, he said.

"In Australia, you have to vote. There are ways to get people out if you really want," he said.

Educating the young about the importance of using their political voice at the ballot box is another measure that should be considered, he said.

With reports from CTV Toronto's Paul Bliss and Naomi Parness