Health Care Checkup: Ontario Election Results

Ontario’s health care landscape remains largely unchanged from a political point of view now that voters have made their voices clear at the ballot box.

After calling a snap election, Premier Doug Ford and the Progressive Conservatives have emerged victorious, securing a third consecutive majority government. The PC campaign, fueled by a promise of stability and strength, centred on protecting Ontario from the economic uncertainty posed by the Trump administration’s trade policies and tariff threats. 

Ford’s message was clear: Ontario needs steady leadership to navigate a shifting geopolitical landscape. His campaign doubled down on economic resilience, job protection, and domestic manufacturing, striking a chord with voters wary of external volatility. The opposition scrambled to gain traction, but Ford’s emphasis on strong leadership in uncertain times resonated across key battlegrounds.

To help hold the government accountable, the New Democratic Party (NDP), led by Marit Stiles, have formed the Official Opposition, followed by the Liberals in third place and the Green Party in fourth. Expect the Official Opposition to continue to zero in on health care challenges, including family doctor shortages and hallway medicine.

Notable Mentions

• Premier Doug Ford (PC Party), Marit Stiles (NDP Leader), and Mike Schreiner (Green Party Leader) have all been re-elected.
   
• Bonnie Crombie (Liberal Leader) was unsuccessful in her bid for a seat in the Legislature but will remain as party leader. 
   
• Former Health Minister Sylvia Jones, Long-Term Care Minister Natalia Kusendova and Associate Minister of Mental Health Michael Tibollo were all re-elected.
   
• Health critics Dr. Adil Shamji (Liberal) and France Gélinas (NDP) were both re-elected.
   
• New health voices: Lee Fairclough (Liberal) who is a longtime health care executive and former hospital leader has won in Etobicoke-Lakeshore, Tyler Watt (Liberal), who is a Registered Nurse, has won in Nepean, and Robin Lennox (NDP), who is a family physician, has won in Hamilton Centre.

What to Expect

PC Priorities and Commitments

As outlined in their election platform, the PCs’ new mandate will focus on five key pillars:

• Building Ontario’s Economy 
   
• Protecting Workers 
   
• Keeping Ontario Competitive 
   
• Cleaning Up Our Streets 
   
• Delivering Better Care and Services

Their “Plan to Protect Ontario” builds on previous key commitments with a renewed focus on responding to tariff threats and protecting Ontario jobs.  

In terms of health care, the government’s top priority is to connect every person in Ontario to a family doctor and primary care. The government is investing $1.8 billion to connect two million more people to a family doctor or primary care team within four years.

The Ford government has also doubled down on its commitment to ban safe consumption sites within 200 metres of schools and childcare centers. It will also spend $530 million to establish 27 new Homelessness and Addiction Recovery Treatment (HART) Hubs, which are expected to be operational as of April 1, 2025.

Other health care priorities include:

• Training and hiring more health care workers by opening two new medical schools and expanding new medical school seats across the province. 
   
• Creating more connected and convenient care by expanding the scope of practice for pharmacists and other medical professionals, investing in more community surgical and diagnostic centres, and improving access to mental health and addictions services. 
   
• Building hospitals and long-term care capacity with more than $50 billion to build or upgrade 50 hospitals and $6.4 billion to build 58,000 new and upgraded long-term care beds by 2028. 

What This Means For You

With a renewed PC majority, we can expect the Ford government to demonstrate action on its promise to protect Ontario’s economy and fight for good-paying jobs. To do so, the re-elected government will need to appoint a new Cabinet, deliver the throne speech and table the 2025 budget.

Of note, the Fiscal Transparency and Accountability Act, 2004 (FTAA) mandates that the provincial budget must be presented on or before March 31 each year. While there have been instances where the government has introduced budgets later, often citing extraordinary circumstances, the government will likely act swiftly to name Cabinet and finalize the budget.

We will continue to monitor key developments, including Cabinet appointments, budget progress, and policy changes, to help you navigate the evolving health care landscape.