Two Jamaicans Win Seats in Canada

Two Jamaicans emerged victorious in the provincial election, which took place in Ontario, Canada on October 2, as their party scored a landslide victory and will now form the next government.
Alvin Curling who contested the constituency of Scarborough-Rouge River retained his seat, which he has held since 1985, while Mary Anne Chambers in the constituency of Scarborough East, is a first-time winner. The other two Jamaican candidates – Monica Purdy and Yvette Blackburn – were not successful in their bids.
Both Mr. Curling and Mrs. Chambers ran for the Ontario Liberal Party (OLP), which won 72 of 103 seats.
With a total of 23,974 votes, Mr. Curling, who had previously served as Minister of Housing and Minister of Skills Development in the 1980s, garnered more than 14,000 votes over his closest rival, while Mrs. Chambers’ 21,631 votes were 7,430 more than her closest rival.
In an interview with JIS News, Mrs. Chambers said the victory was a humbling experience for her and she was touched by the number of people who came out and gave of their time during her campaign. “I have no misconception of how challenging the job is going to be,” said the former Senior Vice-President of Scotiabank.
“I am going to give it my best. I really want to return the respect, trust and confidence that people have placed in me by doing my very best,” she added.
There has been some speculation in the Toronto media that Mrs. Chambers is headed for a Ministerial position, while some have linked Mr. Curling’s name with Speaker of the Legislature.