Tesser Derksen Expresses Pride In Liberal Campaign

By Laura Steiner, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, The Milton Reporter

Milton Progressive Conservative (P.C.) candidate Zee Hamid has been returned to office as part of a third straight majority mandate for the PC’s. Hamid won  the riding by 2,540 votes of Liberal candidate Kristina Tesser Derksen.

The “snap election” was called by Ontario Premier Ford on January 27 on the premise he needed a new mandate to deal with the fallout caused by potential tariffs from the United States. Ford came under fire for using a video made on a trip to Washington during his campaign. The video included clips of the trip, and ended with the party’s logo and campaign slogan- Protect Ontario. It was taken down in what the party spokesperson described as an ‘abundance of caution’.

A second term municipal councillor, this was Kristina Tesser Derksen’s first-time running for party politics. “We went to Miltonians. We met them where they were. We went to the doors. We went to the public meetings; we made ourselves accessible. We answered the questions,” she said, addressing supporters on election night. Many PC candidates, including Hamid did not attend local all-candidate meetings. “All of those concerns we heard from Miltonians, I hope he hears them too,” Tesser Derksen said.  Hamid won with 20,091, followed by Tesser Derksen with 17,551 votes. The NDP candidate Katherine Cirlincione got 2,403 coming in third, while Green Party candidate Susan Doyle was fourth with 1,130, New Blue Party candidate John Spina came fifth at 866 votes, and Mohsin Rizvi of the Ontario Centrist Party was sixth with 316 votes.

Ford won a majority with 80 of the 104 seats, 53 more than the New Democratic Party (NDP) who remain the official opposition. Ford campaigned on creating more than 300 primary care teams, increased investment in the skilled trades, widening highways, as well as a plan to build a tunnel under the 401. The Ontario Liberals campaigned on increasing the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP), attracting 3,100 doctors by 2029, bringing full-day GO service to Kitchener. They picked up six seats from dissolution, bringing them to 14, and regaining official party status. Ontario Liberal leader Bonnie Crombie did not win her seat, but is expected to remain on as leader. The NDP promised to double the ODSP, reduce medical paperwork, and cover approximately half of municipal transit costs.

Voter turnout was up slightly throughout the province of Ontario; 45.40% in this provincial election, compared to 43.9% in 2022. In the Milton riding, turnout was  42.21% down from 42.25%. According to the legislative calendar, MPP’s are expected to be sitting for the spring session March 3, however it’s expected to be pushed back.. US President Donald Trump has announced  he would begin implementing a 25% tariff on Canadian goods on March 4.