increased social benefits for same-sex couples in Bill 167. In reality, the overwhelming majority of the Liberal caucus voted against the measure, and then opposition leader Lynn McLeod was accused of "flip-flopping" when she refused to support the NDP bill on the grounds of her opposition to same-sex adoption. Then Premier Bob Rae has also since been accused of using the same-sex benefits controversy as a wedge issue, “cynically cho[osing] not to whip his majority behind the bill because he saw an opportunity to blame its failure on McLeod’s Liberals” and “was more interested in stopping the then-ascendant Liberals than in advancing the cause of equality.” After the Tories won a majority government in the provincial election of 1995, Hodgson was re-elected over McCrae by almost 20,000 votes, with 67% of the vote. On June 26, 1995, he was named Minister of Natural Resources, Development and Mines in Mike Harris's government. On October 10, 1997, Hodgson was named Minister of Northern Development and Mines, Chair of the Management Board of Cabinet and Deputy Government House Leader (holding the latter positions until 2001). He also served as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing from 2001 to 2003. Hodgson defeated McCrae for a third time in the 1999 provincial election, this time in the redistributed riding of Haliburton—Victoria—Brock. He retained his position as Chair of the Management Board in the new parliament, and was also named Commissioner of the Board of Internal Economy on July 27, 1999. After a cabinet shuffle on February 8, 2001, he was named Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. When Harris resigned as Premier in 2002, many expected Hodgson to enter the race to replace him. Instead, he endorsed Ernie Eves, the victorious candidate. He retained the Municipal Affairs and Housing portfolio in the Eves cabinet, but unexpectedly stepped down on January 13, 2003, announcing his decision to retire from politics. He did not run in the 2003 election. In 2004, he supported John Tory's successful bid to replace Eves as party leader. Political achievements As Minister of Natural Resources, Hodgson launched the Lands for Life initiative, which saw the largest increase in parks and protected space in the history of the province, and laid the groundwork for the government’s Living Legacy program, the single biggest expansion of parks in Ontario. That year, he also reinstated the Managed Forest Tax Incentive Program, which promoted environmental stewardship and