Ontario NDP delegates back Stiles but urge stronger election strategy

The Ontario NDP party gathered in Niagara Falls for day two of their provincial convention Saturday. Leader Marit Stiles faced a leadership review vote.

Delegates showed how much confidence they have — or don’t — in their current leader.

Stiles earned 68 per cent of the votes, which means she can stay on as leader. But she did tell CHCH News that if she wants to beat Doug Ford three years from now, her party has to do things differently.

“I think if we learned anything in that last snap election it’s that an election can come at any time. So we need to be ready to nominate our candidates earlier, we need to make sure that our riding associations are ready to go with the money raised, the volunteers ready to go. And we need to do the work between elections. The work starts now and that’s really the message, I think, of this convention,” said Stiles.

Hamilton Centre MPP Robin Lennox says the NDP have to do a better job at communicating in the next election if they want to beat Ford.

“I will give credit where credit is due. I think Doug Ford does a good job of communicating and crafting his message. And I think we need to do a better job of showing people what the vision would be for an Ontario NDP government, what we would actually be able to deliver for people,” said Lennox.

St. Catharine’s MPP Jennie Stevens says the party needs to attract younger votes.

“We have such a young crowd here. It’s so vibrant with the youth here and I think that’s what we are going to do. We are going to introduce our party to the youth, the working people,” said Stevens.

Stiles also bristled at the legislature’s long summer break. It is still a month from returning even though MPPs rose for the summer on June 5.

“Every other Ontarian out there, if they have a job, if they are lucky enough to have a job these days, they’re working hard. Doug Ford doesn’t want to roll up his sleeves and get back into the legislature until Oct. 20 – so we all decided that we are going to do what the people of Ontario are doing. We don’t stop working, we won’t stop working for the people of Ontario. And I look forward to having an opportunity on Oct. 20 to ask the questions that I think so many Ontarians want asked to the premier of this province,” said Stiles.

People in Ontario will go to the polls again to vote in January of 2029, but as we know that’s three years away and a lot can happen in that time.

WATCH MORE: Ontario NDP holds annual convention in Niagara Falls, maps ‘path to victory’ over Ford