Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles secured 68 per cent support in a crucial leadership review on Saturday, a result that allows her to stay at the helm but underscores that nearly one-third of delegates want change. The vote came during the party’s annual convention in Niagara Falls, just a week after Ontario Liberal Leader Bonnie Crombie resigned following a disappointing 57 per cent endorsement from her party.
Speaking to delegates after the vote, Stiles thanked members for their confidence and promised to transform the party into a winning force. “We need to make change in this party if we’re going to defeat Doug Ford in the next election, and we will do that,” she said, drawing loud chants of her name from supporters.
Stiles promised a renewed focus on issues Ontarians care about most — tackling the affordability crisis, improving health care access, and properly funding education. Taking a swipe at Ford’s theatrics, she said, “We don’t need stunts. We need jobs. And you know what else we need? We need a plan to protect them.”
The leadership vote followed a difficult snap election for the NDP, which managed to hold onto Official Opposition status for a seventh straight year but slipped to third place in the popular vote with just 18 per cent. Longtime NDP strategist Erin Morrison said the vote reflects disappointment among party members. “Looks like three in 10 delegates said, ‘You didn’t win the last election,’” she told CBC News, stressing that Stiles must now “fight to win.”
Some discontent stems from Stiles’ decision to expel former MPP Sara Jama from caucus in 2023 after controversial comments about the Israel-Palestine conflict — a move that angered parts of the party base. Delegate Justin Kong said the vote was a signal of that frustration: “Members absolutely wanted to send a strong message.”
Sudbury MPP Jamie West urged Stiles to sharpen the NDP’s message ahead of the next election. “People are suffering under Doug Ford. They’re looking for alternatives,” West said. “We have to do better communicating that, and we need to effectively communicate the bad work that Doug Ford is doing to make their lives even harder.”
With Crombie’s resignation leaving the Liberals leaderless, Stiles now has an opportunity to position the NDP as the sole serious challenger to Ford’s Progressive Conservatives — but she will need to unify her party and re-energize voters to make “Premier Stiles” a real possibility.