In the clubhouse at the Kirrie Glen golf course in Bracebridge, a small but boisterous crowd cheered on the newest Member of Provincial Parliament for the Parry Sound-Muskoka riding as he arrived shortly after he was declared victorious by several news outlets just before 10 p.m.
Smith, accompanied by his wife Melissa, addressed a crowd of roughly 30 people. That included local supporters and politicians such as Muskoka Lakes Mayor Phil Harding and former MP Tony Clement.
“People have decided they want me to represent them and that’s an incredibly humbling thing for me,” said Smith. “Tomorrow the work begins. You want a government that will put money back in your pockets, you want a government that will deliver two hospitals right here.”
Smith congratulated his fellow candidates, calling Matt Richter a “great guy”, after his speech.
Smith said he will strive to be “an MPP for everyone”, regardless of their political stripes.
He also offered his thanks to the citizens of Bracebridge, who have kept him in office for 16 years—first as a District councillor and then as mayor.
“I hope I served you well but I’m really excited to serve the whole riding well,” he said.
He also spoke about the “incredible legacy” of Norm Miller, who spent the past 21 years representing the riding as MPP before deciding to step down prior to this election.
Smith thanked Premier Doug Ford for his support, and afterwards Smith explained that support applies both to his time as mayor of Bracebridge and as a provincial candidate.
“The people of Ontario are excited to see him as their premier…and I’m glad that we have a great relationship,” said Smith.
The final, unofficial results for Parry Sound-Muskoka are:
- Graydon Smith, PC Party: 20,216 (45.41 per cent)
- Matt Richter, Green Party: 18,102 (40.66 per cent)
- Erin Horvath, NDP: 3,391 (7.62 per cent)
- Andrew John Cocks, Ontario Party: 1,649 (3.70 per cent)
- Doug Maynard, New Blue Party: 883 (1.98 per cent)
- Daniel Predie Jr, independent: 155 (0.35 per cent)
- Brad Waddell, Populist Party: 126 (0.28 per cent)
Of 76,319 registered voters in the riding, 44,522 cast ballots tonight, a turnout of 58.34 per cent.
See more election night coverage here.
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Good folks of many stripes see the benefits of Mixed Member Proportional Representation:
https://www.westernstandard.news/opinion/rempel-garner-it-s-time-for-conservatives-to-rethink-proportional-representation/article_34832384-ee7a-5041-95a6-4c53b0613ca6.html
https://mobile.twitter.com/FairVoteCanada/status/1507421146551042050
https://torontostarreplica.pressreader.com/article/281595244034972
Clearly, participatory democracy requires many and diverse voices heard in the legislature that work together for the common good, rather than the current four-year partisan posturing in competition for power.
Canada is one of few countries worldwide that use FPTP. The enlightened, collaborative and stable nations have explored and rejected both the FPTP and ranked ballot systems due to their undemocratic results. Mixed Member Proportional Representation is the voting method of choice.
So the cat is out of the bag. Riviere-Anderson wants PR.
PR has more pitfalls than FPTP.
No doubt his partisan leanings make PR more palatable.
We had the referendum, PR lost.
Mr Markle, many off the comments you post on here are very snide and sarcastic. Referring to your political opponents as a “mold”, for example. That’s why it’s especially satisfying to have played even a small role in ensuring that the election night results were a disappointment for you. I say again, please… Keep up the good work
Greg Reuvekamp: I might have thought the intention of your election work was for Premier Ford: I grant it must be tough to find him an inspiration.
And after choosing to work in the Smith camp, you found it becoming hard(“felt like throwing in the towel’), and your motivation slipping. I know it is hard for younger people to remain up-beat, though you should be somewhat past that, being in your 50’s? And with Mr. Smith’s future being limited to handing out crumbs to the country mice; well how inspiring is that?
And then you say you found the “motivation that your posts provided”, alluding I suppose to my comments on Doppler!
It is with a modicum of chagrin, but I am somewhat flattered. Remembering, to be sure, that you were inspired by watching an old man swim. I suppose in my case the motivation is due to the ability of an older man, to type.
Seems it doesn’t take much to start or keep you going. But I will accept ‘atta-boys’ wherever I can get them, and be humbled by your acknowledgment. Right!
As for the next four years, who can guess. I’m sure Mr. Ford will still appear perplexed whenever presented with a puzzle with more than 1 piece; be still saying “git-er-done’ (though I think Jim Carrey said it best); and still be claiming to be working for everybody.
I’m sure he will leave all of us searching for some sort of inspiration..
Mr. Smith has proven himself a conciliatory and innovative forward-looking thinker. We’re certain he will not ignore 40 percent of the voters who are committed to carefully crafted and costed programs for our future. First-past-the-post creates a “winner” by disenfranchising most of the electorate, as the lowest voter turnout ever in Ontario has demonstrated. Good politics are not like the warriorism of, say, a hockey game, where the conqueror gets everything. Until proportional representation permits a voice for each of us, the winner in PSM has promised to be the representative for all of us, across party lines. Graydon is to be congratulated for promising this open-minded approach, which requires listening, research and concensus.
Regarding: “turnout of 58.34 per cent“, not sure where that comes from but from Elections Ontario at https://www.elections.on.ca/content/ngw/en/election-results/parry-sound-muskoka.html it was 53.28% here and and a ridiculous 43.03% in the province.
24% of voters cast for Graydon Smith here and an astonishing and scary 17.6% voted PC in Ontario, resulting in a clean-slate (no campaign except highways to speak of, and what of any “promises” anyway) and zero opposition. What an awful and spooky time for democracy.
Good luck to Graydon, and us all.
WOW! Agree with you Sean McIlroy and Nathan Cockram! .. The people have spoken! .. Majority wins! .. Lets give Smith a chance and valuate him and the PC’s after their NEW 4 year ‘get it done’ term. IMO .. you need to face reality, embrace change and move economy, investment, jobs, infrastructure etc etc FWD! We lived through a 15 year Liberal reign and nothing was done for Muskoka!
Mr. Markle, I see that there are plenty of affordable homes for sale in Guelph. Perhaps you can move south and enjoy a mold free life.
To Mr. Markle above: I’ll be honest with you sir, it has been damn hard working on Graydon’s campaign since January. There were lots of days I felt like throwing in the towel. It wasn’t easy work, especially these last two weeks. What really helped me was the motivation that your posts here provided, along with Mr. Whillans. Burgess Meredith himself couldn’t have fired me up more to go and get in that ring. So thanks very much for your help, I already can’t wait to do this again in four years. See ya then!
Wow, lots of Green party sour grapes on display here.
As to the first comment: why would Graydon renege on his campaign promises to ‘”implement the Green platform” – that would not make him more credible, rather, that would erode any credibility whatsoever.
He won in a first-past-the-post system. What % a losing party ended up securing in votes is irrelevant.
Congratulations graydon. I knew you could win Parry Sound, Muskoka. We couldn’t be any more happier to see you win,be looking forward to meeting you overtime(We know you will be a great mpp for parry sound)
Rather discouraging this morning to see how far the ‘Blue Mold’ has spread. Around 80+ seats total; that’s Mike Harris territory and we know how well that went.
But we should take solace from the recent comment by a local ‘mold’ spokesman, when replying to Bob Thorpe, that all governments look after there own. Parry/Sound Muskoka should make out like a bandit.
Two full service hospitals only 25 minutes apart? On it! Let the clear cutting begin.
Jobs with full time hours and a wage people can live on? True that! Checks are in the mail.
Housing for ordinary people? For sure! More dead trees, but you do what you gotta’ do. Oh! there will be a lot of blasting in Huntsville, Some sort of weird, rock fetish.
Safe, secure, senior facilities ( residual Mike Harris again I believe)? Tick that box! They can bet their lives on it.
“Buck a beer?” Yeah! Well nobody swallowed that @#*t.
And if the ‘Blue Mold’ don’t ‘get-er-done’, in four years they will have another batch of BS and cool-aid
ready to serve.
And less than 2/3 of the population even gives a damn, and bothered to vote.
Makes you want to just sit down and bawl.
While Graydon Smith is a highly respected and effective representative of Parry Sound-Muskoka, it is clear that short-sighted provincial PC business-as-usual must give way to the 40 percent of our population who voted for fundamental change for the long-term.
Given the priorities that are evolving in this riding, Mr. Smith would be well advised to implement the essentials of the Green platform to remain credible. Mr. Ford’s fluffy and often environmentally dangerous campaign promises represent neither the needs nor the expectations of the PSM electorate, as the results have shown.
Matt Richter, and Glen Hodgson and Richard Thomas before him, have worked very hard over many years to offset denial and anxiety regarding the role of humans in obviously converging environmental calamities. The Greens’ message of correct positive action has been heard and understood in Parry Sound-Muskoka.
It’s time for our representatives with conscience to listen deeply to reality and to act appropriately, engaging citizens and government alike, ever mindful that human-centered “growth” and “progress” are myths of a time long past on our finite planet.
It is to be hoped that Graydon Smith will successfully emerge from the difficult contradictions he now faces, and that he will be equal to the tasks ahead.