Marit Stiles set to be next leader of Ontario NDP

Marit Stiles is set to be the next leader of the Ontario New Democratic Party.

With the deadline to enter the race passing last night, Marit Stiles is the lone candidate and will officially become the next NDP leader replacing Andrea Horwath.

Stiles represents the downtown riding of Davenport and was the only candidate to enter the New Democratic Party Leadership contest. The NDP’s 1 a.m. deadline on Tuesday passed with no other entrants signing up.

Stiles will succeed Horwath, who had led the NDP since 2009. She quit on election night and was elected mayor of Hamilton in October.

“I’m thrilled about how this exciting time enables us to engage with our membership, build capacity, and ramp up our fight for working people,” party president Janelle Brady said in a release Tuesday. “Together with Marit, we will work to build a party and a 2026 election campaign with space for working people and labour, progressives, racialized and equity-deserving Ontarians, and young people.”

The NDP news release said Canadian political parties have “a long tradition of unopposed leadership candidates going on to win the premier’s office in the next election,” including Dave Barrett, John Horgan, Roy Romanow, and Mike Harcourt in British Columbia.

Per the Ontario NDP constitution, the confirmation vote will be a simple majority, conducted in a one-member-one-vote system weighted to 75 per cent; and votes from affiliate organizations weighted to 25 per cent with each affiliated organization entitled to two votes for the first 100 members or any portion thereof, and one additional vote for each additional 300 members or major fraction thereof.

Stiles is a former president of the federal NDP and a Toronto public school board trustee. The married mother of two was first elected as an MPP in 2018 after defeating Liberal incumbent Cristina Martins.

It remains unclear how long interim NDP leader Peter Tabuns will remain on the job. The New Democrats still need to hold a confirmation vote, which is currently scheduled for March 4. Party officials said it may be moved up.