Liberal cabinet minister in a tight race

The former education minister, a one- time bank worker and a Toronto TT cop who is under in- ternal investigation for an alleged email threat on the campaign trail, all competed for the riding of Scarborough- Guildwood ww where early results on election night showed a tough competition.

As of 9: 40 p. m., Mitzie Hunter, the Liberal incumbent, was fighting for her political career against New Democrat Tom Packwood and Progressive Conservative Roshnan Nallaratnam, the Toronto police officer who is under internal police investigation for the alleged threat.

Progressive Conservative leader Doug Ford claimed the allegation was “fabricated.” Nallaratnam’s campaign office did not respond to numerous interview requests.

Nallaratnam had said in a statement that the email was fake.

In a diverse riding, that is pushing for better health care and public transit, ScarboroughGuildwood has long been a comfortable home for Liberals.

But in 2018, the desire for political change meant the PC and NDP candidates had a shot at taking down the high- profile incumbent Hunter.

In her most recent cabinet post, Hunter served as minister of advanced education and skills development in former Premier Kathleen Wynne’s government.

Before that she was the education minister and associate minister of finance.

Hunter was first elected in a 2013 byelection, after long- time Liberal MPP Margarett Best retired.

In the days leading up to the election, Hunter predicted she’d hold on to her job because voters vv are “critical in how they look at candidates,” and said she has deep roots with people in her “beautiful riding.”

Nallaratnam’s website gives a brief biography that says he has been a Toronto police officer for nine years.

This is not Nallaratnam’s first run at politics — in 2015, he ran as the federal Conservative candidate in the riding of Scarborough Southwest, but lost to Toronto’s former police chief, Bill Blair, who is now a federal minister in Justin Trudeau’s government.