© Carlo Allegri/ReutersA Doug Ford supporter celebrates the Ontario election results giving a majority to his Progressive Conservative party.
Doug Ford - the brother of controversial former Toronto mayor Rob Ford - is the new leader of Canada's most populous province, winning a majority government in a local show of strength for the divisive wedge politics that have rattled much of the world.
Ontario's Conservatives, led by Ford, won 76 of the 124 seats in the province, with 99% of the polls reporting. Buoyed by promises that included slashing income taxes, reducing the price of gasoline, boosting spending on healthcare and transit and repealing carbon pricing, the Conservatives won 41% of the vote, bringing an end to 15 years of Liberal rule in the province.
"This victory belongs to the people," Ford told supporters on Thursday. "Together we made history. We have taken back Ontario, we have delivered a government that is for the people."
Ford - a businessman who rails against the elite and regularly peppers his speeches and interviews with boasts and falsehoods - is the brother of the late Rob Ford, the former Toronto mayor who made headlines around the world after he admitted to smoking crack cocaine while in office.
In his victory speech, Ford thanked his brother. "I know my brother Rob is looking down from heaven. I'm just getting chills talking about him right now," he said. "I know Rob is celebrating with us tonight. We owe so much to Rob's legacy."
Comment: "MOGA" just doesn't quite have the same ring to it...