NDP McDougall drops to fourth place locally
By ALAN LICZYK Staff Reporter

The New Democratic Party maintained its thirdplace showing in last Wednesday's provincial election, but dropped to fourth place in the riding of Dufferin-Caledon.

Local NDP candidate Lynda McDougall told the Citizen she set modest goals going into the election and was hoping to place third. She wanted to maintain the roughly 4,000 votes they received in the previous election and gathered 3,891 of the ballots cast for 9.9 per cent of the popular vote. She trailed Sylvia Jones of the Progressive Conservative party, Betsy Hall of the Liberal party and Green party candidate Rob Strang.

She acknowledged the Green party had a good showing and said Strang ran a strong campaign locally.

McDougall thinks she probably received more voter support in Orangeville and Shelburne, though she hadn't seen the poll-by-poll results yet. She noted only some people were concerned about the social justice agenda.

She was disappointed the proposed Mixed Member Proportional voting system in the referendum question didn't received strong support.

"It would have enriched conversation," she said, adding it would have made for an interesting Ontario legislature.

She noted one Toronto newspaper called MMP a "dismal failure" because it received only 37 per cent support, but she pointed out Premier Dalton McGuinty's Liberals received only slightly higher support at 42 per cent.

"I found that ironic," she said. "It's not a dismal failure."

She believes voters were not informed well enough.

"It was not well done," she said. "I do think that great conversation got started about it."

She was pleased to see the incumbent NDP candidates retain their seats in the election. The party's popular vote was slightly higher than the previous election.

"I'm very proud of the party," she said.

What surprised her from the election was people seemed to focus on Progressive Conservative Leader John Tory's proposal to fund all faith-based schools.

"It was very discouraging not to get at the other issues," she said.

She explained modestincome families deserve answers around property and health taxes.

McDougall said she can't predict if she will run again in the 2011 provincial election. She explained she's going to retire from her job in 2010 and will be travelling.