Stiles, who represents the Toronto riding of Davenport and serves as the NDP’s education critic, made her candidacy official at an afternoon appearance with supporters. She was joined by fellow NDP MPPs Bhutila Karpoche, Kristyn Wong-Tam and Chandra Pasma. Stiles said she aims to defeat Premier Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservatives, who swam into a second majority government on June 2. “I invite all Ontarians to join us as we build a movement that can defeat Doug Ford and deliver more for working families — more opportunity, more justice, more access, more hope,” Stiles wrote in a statement . “Doug Ford wants us to lower our expectations, but Ontarians know it’s not normal to have 40 kids in a classroom or a 12-hour wait in the emergency room.” Newfoundland-born Stiles was first elected as an MPP in 2018 when she defeated a Liberal incumbent. Before securing a seat at Queen’s Park, Stiles was a Toronto Public School trustee and also spent two years as chair of the federal NDP. The New Democrats have been without a permanent leader since Andrea Horwath resigned on election night, when the party lost seven of the 38 seats it held when parliament was dissolved. It was a disappointing result for the NDP, which had tried to position itself as the only party that could beat the PCs. Horwath has held the top job since 2009, leading the New Democrats to four elections. Toronto-Danforth MPP Peter Tabuns was appointed as interim leader in late June. Speaking on CBC Radio’s Metro Morning the day after the election, Stiles said it’s clear the NDP needs to change its approach to winning over voters if it hopes to form government in the future. He said the party has failed to inspire enough Ontarians to overturn the PCs. “We’ve got a big job ahead of us,” he said of the NDP’s long-term prospects. “We need someone who can bring us all together. We’re going to need someone who connects, I think, with real people, but also someone who is smart enough to design really good policy.” LISTEN | Stiles discusses the future of the NDP after the June 2 election: Metro Morning4:57Re-elected MPP Marit Stiles says she would consider seeking Ontario NDP leadership Marit Stiles is the NDP MPP for Davenport. While Stiles will be the first candidate to announce a leadership bid, fellow caucus members Wayne Gates and Laura-Mae Lindo have previously hinted they may also run to lead Ontario’s Official Opposition. According to party rules, prospective candidates have until December 2 to enter the contest. The new captain will be decided by ranked ballots, with the winner announced on March 2, 2023.
