Despite his party's second-place showing in the Ontario election, Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Hudak said voters have signaled that "they want a change in direction," and he vowed to hold a Liberal government to account over jobs, taxes and spending.
By the first few moments of Friday morning, votes were still being tabulated. But the Tories had either won or were leading in 37 ridings, compared to 53 for the Liberals and 17 for the NDP.
With some ridings still too close to call, that meant a gain of 12 seats for the Conservatives, a disappointing showing given predictions of voter fatigue with the two-term Dalton McGuinty government.
Hudak told supporters at his election-night headquarters in Niagara that although the result was not what he had hoped for, "it is very clear that the people of Ontario have sent a strong message that they want a change in direction." He added that voters "have put Dalton McGuinty on a much shorter leash."
Hudak also hailed his party's best seat total since the 1999 election and a near tie in the popular vote. Near midnight Thursday, the Liberals had secured about 37 per cent of the popular vote, compared to 35 per cent for the Tories.
But Hudak said he is prepared to "focus like a laser" on issues such as job creation and reining in government spending.
"Time will tell if Dalton McGuinty actually got the message," Hudak said. "But I want Ontario families to know that I heard you loud and clear. My PC colleagues and I will be there for you, and make sure your message is also heard loud and clear in the legislature."
"The voters told us we have more work to do, and we will start first thing tomorrow."
Pollster Nik Nanos said the Conservative showing likely came down to two issues: the fact that Hudak, who was in his first campaign as party leader, failed to define himself, and that he failed to hit on the issues that mattered to voters.
The Conservatives focused much of their campaign on tax cuts, which often came in third or fourth on voter priority lists, Nanos said.
"If the Conservatives had focused more on jobs and the economy and growth, that probably would have helped them at the ballot box, but we didn't see that," Nanos told CTV News. "They were on a tax mantra, and wanted to attack Dalton McGuinty."
Nanos said Hudak's challenge as he continues to rebuild the Progressive Conservative party will be to continue to make himself known to voters, but also to reach out beyond his party's base.
"The thing about PC support is, it's concentrated, so it wasn't as efficient in generating seats," Nanos said, "which means that the Conservatives and their campaign basically threw red meat to the core and ramped up margins where they were already strong."
