Northern blues: Progressive Conservatives confident of northern Ontario breakthrough this spring
CBC
It is less than a month before the Ontario election campaign kicks off and less than two months before voters mark their ballots.
After years running as the third party in most northern ridings, the ruling Progressive Conservatives are confident that they will win more votes, and seats, in northern Ontario.
One of the big signs of a co-ordinated effort to increase their presence is that the PCs have a full roster of candidates across the north, most whom have been in place for months, instead of the usual last minute scrambling to get names on the ballots.
"It's no secret that sometimes in the past we've had trouble finding good candidates," said Fred Slade, riding association president for Sudbury and Nickel Belt, and the treasurer on the provincial party executive.
"They've been out there, getting their names known and raising money. So we're in good shape and we expect to do well."
This time it's the Liberals playing catch-up, still needing four candidates in the northeast, with the nomination deadline less than a month away.
Slade says there's "absolutely no question" that his party is paying more attention to the north than in years past and he expects to turn at least one more riding blue.
"Obviously there's some uphill battles to climb in some of those ridings," he said.
"The winds are changing and we consider all those ridings to be in play."
The New Democrats won many of those ridings by huge margins in 2018, including Algoma-Manitoulin where the Conservative candidate was 10,000 votes behind incumbent MPP Michael Mantha.
But the 2022 PC standard bearer, Hornepayne mayor Cheryl Fort, is feeling good about her chances.
"Investment and building Ontario and getting it done. I want to see us be part of that. I think it's beneficial for the north," said Fort, who was inspired by Ford's leadership to join the party four years ago.
"We need to ensure that our voices are being heard."
During the Bill Davis PC governments of the 1970s and '80s, there were a lot of northern voices in the Conservative party.
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