Key Takeaways:
- An experienced Toronto lawmaker has been named interim leader of the New Democrats in Ontario as the Official Opposition party gears up for a leadership election.
- Not just the New Democrats in Ontario are vying for the leadership seat left vacant by this month’s election.
As the Official Opposition party prepares for a leadership election, a longstanding Toronto lawmaker has been chosen interim leader of the New Democrats in Ontario.
The party declared on Tuesday that the NDP’s provincial council chose Peter Tabuns for the position. It stated that the timeframe and regulations for the leadership race would be covered in more detail later.
In a prepared statement, Tabuns stated, “The NDP is pleased that the people of Ontario have chosen us, once again, to form the Official Opposition, and I’m pleased to have the opportunity to lead the party for a while.”
He asserted that the caucus is “excited and committed” to pressing Doug Ford’s Progressive Conservative administration on problems such as worker salaries, wait times for medical care, climate change, and the interests of students and residents of long-term care facilities.
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Since 2006, Tabuns has served the Toronto-Danforth riding and worked as a critic for several portfolios, including environment and energy.
He will take Andrea Horwath’s place as leader of the province’s Official Opposition party after she declares her resignation on election night.
Under Horwath’s leadership, the NDP transitioned from a third party to the Official Opposition status between 2009 and 2018, and its representation in parliament dropped to 31 seats this election.
The criteria and election date for the party’s leadership battle will be decided at a subsequent meeting of the provincial council, the party announced on Tuesday.
Laura Mae Lindo, who is Kitchener Centre, Marit Stiles, who represents Davenport, and Wayne Gates, who represents Niagara Falls, is among the NDP caucus members who have declared they are thinking about running for the leadership.
In a statement released on Tuesday, party president Janelle Brady complimented Horwath for her leadership as well as congratulated Tabuns, noting that the NDP is in a “strong position” both monetarily and in terms of its volunteers and supporters.
“The tens of thousands of NDP members in Ontario own the choice of a new leader and the direction of our party, and I can safely say the party is in good hands,” she said.
Before being elected to the provincial legislature, Tabuns worked as the executive director of Greenpeace Canada and also served on the Toronto city council in the 1990s.
Before entering politics, he ran a citizens’ environmental group in his Toronto neighborhood and a housing co-op.
The opposition parties are competing to fill a leadership hole left by this month’s election, not just the New Democrats in Ontario.
The leader of the Liberal Party, Steven Del Duca, resigned on election night as well after his party once again failed to qualify as a legitimate political party and he failed to win his seat.
Source: CTV news
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