Progressive Conservatives defend seat in Eastern Ontario by-election

The Progressive Conservatives won a by-election in Eastern Ontario, retaining a seat previously awarded to a popular cabinet minister, but the result was much closer than the last two elections in this constituency.

Tyler Allsopp, a city councillor in Belleville, will now represent the Bay of Quinte in parliament after winning the by-election on Thursday.

It was a race with a quick turnaround when Premier Doug Ford announced Allsopp as the Progressive Conservative candidate and called the by-election just five days after the seat became vacant.

Todd Smith, who was education minister at the time of his resignation but held several other ministerial posts, including energy, represented the region in four elections, winning the last two in Bay of Quinte with nearly 50 percent of the vote.

Allsopp’s lead was not quite as large (he received around 39 percent of the vote), but it was still decisive.

Ford congratulated Allsopp in a post on social media.

“The people of Bay of Quinte sent a clear message tonight by electing a strong local champion who will fight the Liberals’ carbon tax and Bonnie Crombie’s plans to raise taxes,” the premier wrote.

Ford alleged that Ontario Liberal Party Leader Bonnie Crombie supports the carbon tax and wants to increase taxes on gasoline and beer, but Crombie said that was not true.

Crombie’s candidate in the by-election, Sean Kelly – a councillor alongside Allsopp in Belleville and a local radio host – came in second with about 33 percent of the vote.

In the last two general elections, the NDP came second in this constituency, but on Thursday evening candidate Amanda Robertson, a school board member, came in behind Kelly with about 23 percent of the vote.

The Liberals proudly announced their second place, saying it was a sign that they were the main alternative.

“We were the underdogs from day one, but voters have made it clear to us that we are the only party that can take on Doug Ford,” Crombie wrote in a statement.

NDP Leader Marit Stiles said she was proud of Robertson’s campaign.

“Amanda has sparked important and necessary conversations about the changes people want to see in Bay of Quinte,” Stiles wrote in a statement.

The Progressive Conservatives did not make Allsopp available for an interview with the Canadian Press during the by-election campaign, but the press release announcing him as a candidate said he is a father of three, a small business owner and a co-founder of several community initiatives.

Preliminary figures from the Ontario election show that voter turnout was over 38 percent.