Ontario Premier Doug Ford and his Progressive Conservative Party had solid wins in both of the province’s byelections last week. In the riding of Milton, Zee Hamid won 47 per cent of the vote, while in Lambton-Kent-Middlesex, Steve Pinsonneault won 57 per cent. The victorious PC candidates will take their seats in the Ontario legislature shortly.

Should we be surprised by this? No. The Progressive Conservatives held both seats before the May 2 byelections were called. Plus, the party is polling at or above 40 per cent and has a double-digit lead over Bonnie Crombie’s Liberals, according to surveys by Liaison Strategies on April 7 and Abacus Data on April 16. The gap between the two parties in the latter poll is 16 points (41-25).