Four NRI Punjabis have won the Ontario provincial polls in Canada

Toronto, Oct.11, 2007
Darshan Singh/Gary Singh, LA

Four NRI Punjabis have won the Ontario provincial polls in Canada dated on Oct. 10, 2007. Interestingly, all four winners are from the Liberal party as follows:

1. Harinder Takhar- re-elected as Ontario MPP from Mississauga Erindale. He was also elected to the Ontario Legislature in October 2003 and appointed Minister of Transportation on October 23, 2003, by Premier Dalton...
2. Dr Kuldeep Kular- re-elected as Ontario MPP from Bramalea - Gore
3. Vic Dhillon- re-elected as Ontario MPP, BRAMPTON WEST-MISSISSAUGA
4. Amrit Mangat - was elected first time from Mississauga-Brampton South

Dalton McGuinty, Ontario Liberal Leader cruised to a majority by 70 seats out of 107 seats in Ontario Provincial election dated on Oct. 10, 2007. He becomes only the second Liberal Premier in the province's history to win back-to-back majorities since 1937.

PC Leader John Tory failed to win his seat in Toronto, which remained a big loss for his party. The party was unable to overcome doubts sown by his promise to fund faith-based schools and Mr. Tory will almost certainly come under pressure now to step aside, after three years as leader.

Start with the fact that 71 per cent of Ontarians oppose public funding of faith-based schools. No ambiguity here. Except for evangelical Protestant Christians, no demographic or voter sub-group supports the proposal. Even Conservative voters were strongly against it.

What all that means is that a lot more people are going to be asking why the Catholic system exists in a multicultural society - apart from the now-quaint and irrelevant history of Canada's 19th-century Christian religious strife entrenched in a 140-year-old constitutional act.

The Supreme Court of Canada has said, unfair or not, Catholic schools are in the Constitution as a hiccup of history. The United Nations Human Rights Committee has said, hiccup or no hiccup, public funding of Catholic schools alone is discrimination.

Mr. McGuinty said, "Ontarians are saying we have not voted for the status quo. "We are voting for moving forward and we demand progress. We embrace positive ideas. We deplore negativity. We cherish our diversity. ... But we want to work and build and dream together.''

Fewer than 50 per cent of Ontarians cast ballots, a record low. Fifty-seven per cent of Ontarians voted in 2003. Liberals elected in 70 seats, two fewer than 2003, the Tories up two seats to 26 from last time and the NDP third, gaining four seats to a total of 11 from 2003. There are 107 seats in the legislature, four more than in 2003.

Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty cruised to a majority in provincial election on Oct. 10, 2007