[2] The Progressive Conservatives won a majority government under Bill Davis in this election, and Elston sat on the opposition benches for the next four years.
[9] The Liberals initially chose Robert Nixon as their interim leader, but he resigned on July 31, 1991, to accept a federal appointment.
Elston quickly became the favourite to win the 1992 race, gaining endorsements from such high-profile figures as Peterson, Ian Scott, and Sheila Copps.
Some political observers speculated that Elston appeared too much like a holdover from the Peterson era, at a time when the Liberal Party wanted to present a new image to voters.
Elston remained in the legislature for two more years, and served as Opposition House Leader before resigning as an MPP on October 31, 1994, to enter the private sector.
[13] He was touted as McLeod's likely replacement when she resigned as Liberal leader following a poor performance in the 1995 provincial election but he declined to enter the race preferring to remain out of politics.
Elston's lobbying was highly successful: on June 13, 2006, the McGuinty government announcement its commitment to rebuild all of Ontario's ageing nuclear stations as well as the construction of new reactors.