Windsor-Essex goes orange while Canada goes red

By Mark Brown/Converged Citizen Staff

Voters Oct. 19 brought on a mini-orange crush in Windsor-Essex, while much of the rest of the country went Liberal red.
Three of the four ridings in Windsor-Essex became seats for the New Democratic Party as voters in Essex replaced Conservative Jeff Watson with the NDP’s Tracey Ramsey, Brian Masse was easily retained in Windsor West, and in the open seat of Windsor-Tecumseh Cheryl Hardcastle was chosen to take the place of the retiring Joe Comartin.
“What a night! The people of Essex have sent a clear message!” said Ramsey as she addressed supporters at St. John’s Church parish hall in Woodslee.
Ramsey, 44, defeated the incumbent Watson by less than 3,500 votes according to the unofficial vote counts, as well as the Liberal candidate, Audrey Festeryga.
At the Teutonia Club in Windsor, Windsor-Tecumseh NDP candidate Hardcastle and Windsor West’s Masse celebrated their victory together. Masse took the riding for the sixth straight time by defeating main rivals Conservative Henry Lau and Liberal David Sundin.
“I want to thank the residents of Windsor West who have once again rejected the negativity of other campaigns and other messaging,” Masse said to the cheering crowd.
Hardcastle, a journalist and the former deputy mayor of Tecumseh, celebrated her election to the only open federal seat in the region.
“For us here in Windsor-Tecumseh, I feel that it’s very confirming that we have voted to keep our seat NDP,” said Hardcastle during her victory remarks. “We voted to reject the politics of fear and division, we voted for a better and more inclusive Canada.” said Hardcastle.
Hardcastle defeated a strong challenge from Windsor city councillor Jo-Anne Gignac, running for the Conservatives, and Liberal candidate Frank Schiller. The seat has been NDP since Joe Comartin was first elected in 2000.
The fourth area riding, Chatham-Kent-Leamington, remained Tory blue with Dave Van Kesteren being reelected.
The local tide of orange withstood a red revolution across Canada. The Liberal Party, under the leadership of 43-year-old Justin Trudeau, son of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and becoming the only father and son to serve as Prime Ministers of Canada.
The Liberals earned 184 seats in the Canadian House of Commons, the most since the 191 earned under the leadership of Louis St. Laurent in the 1949 federal election.
The Conservatives under Prime Minister Stephen Harper were reduced to 99 seats and Official Opposition status. The Tories had a 166 seat majority after the 2011 election. The national NDP, under leader Tom Mulcair, has been returned as the third-party, falling to 44 seats from 103 four years ago.
Harper, speaking from his Alberta riding of Calgary-Heritage, announced he would step down as Conservative Party leader Oct. 19, paving the way for a Tory leadership campaign.
Elections Canada reported 68 per cent of eligible voters cast ballots Monday, an increase from 61 per cent in 2011 and the highest voter turnout since 1993. Among the four local ridings, voter turnout was an average of 56.5 per cent. Windsor West, particularly, recorded the third lowest turnout nationwide, with just 55.4 percent of residents voting.
The date the 42nd Canadian Parliament will be convened has not been determined.