Election 2008: Simson makes history for Liberals in Scarborough Southwest

By Sean Sillers

Voters in Toronto’s Scarborough Southwest riding made history Tuesday night by electing the riding’s first ever female MP.

In a decisive victory, Liberal candidate Michelle Simson defeated runner-up Conservative hopeful Greg Crompton. In becoming the riding’s first woman representative, Simson won with by a margin of , 4,000 votes.

She spoke to supporters at her headquarters in the riding. “Woo hoo, we did it!” Simson shouted.

She went on to promise to be a “progressive voice in Ottawa” and emphasized her mandate to get women elected by noting her former presidency of the Ontario Women’s Liberal Commission.

The final result for the riding are Simson’s Liberals with 48% of the vote, Crompton’s Conservatives with 29%, followed by the NDP’s Alamsin A. Hussain at 19%, Stephan Dixon’s Greens with 9% while independent Fatique Kabin received 0.4% of the vote.

Conservative candidate Greg Crompton appeared satisfied with the showing. “(I’m) happy with (the) result, (having run a) tight, focused campaign” he said.

He then referred to the riding’s lack of an incumbent (20-year Liberal MP Tom Wappel chose not to run again).
“(It’s) not just enough to show up anymore… (or to) belong to a certain party” he said.

Crompton also noted the success of his party nationally.” (It’s) the longest minority in the history of the country he said.

Simson, on the other hand, sited Harper’s inability to capture a majority as a display of the public’s lack of confidence.

“Harper should be looking in the mirror … Canadians aren’t on-side” she said.

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Posted: Oct 15 2008 1:07 am
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