On a night of celebration, Peter Tabuns and his supporters remembered the legacy of Jack Layton.
The late NDP leader and MP for Toronto-Danforth was a close friend of Tabuns, who pledged to continue the example set by Layton.
“You, the people in this room, you stayed true to the course that Jack Layton set for us. You stayed true to the values of the NDP and you stayed true to this community and that is why we’re here celebrating tonight,” Tabuns told supporters attending his victory party at the Sidewalk Café on Danforth Avenue. “We’ll never forget what we have to do. We’ll never forget what Jack left in our hearts, and what we need to carry forward.”
Tabuns was re-elected as the MPP for Toronto-Danforth with 19,701 votes, or almost 54 per cent of the total. Liberal candidate Marisa Sterling finished second with 11,209 votes.
In an interview, Tabuns said he felt he had run an effective campaign.
“I always get nervous at election time. I never take a vote for granted,” he said. “We made it very clear what we want for Ontario and that is what we’ll be fighting for.”
Paula Fletcher, Toronto city councillor for Ward 30, was also on hand to congratulate Tabuns.
“Together we make this happen in Toronto-Danforth,” Fletcher said. “Together we are able to elect New Democrats that make us proud at every level, that are groundbreakers and policy innovators.”
Tabuns ended his speech with a flourish, pledging to represent the needs of Toronto-Danforth and fight for all of Ontario.
“The people in Toronto-Danforth have put their confidence in me and all of us in the NDP to stand up for them in this province, to put them first, and that’s just what we’re going to do with jobs, health care, education and the environment,” he said. “We’re going to stand up for the people of Ontario. We here in Toronto-Danforth.”