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

As the Ontario NDP holds its annual convention in Niagara Falls, the party has its sights set on defeating Premier Doug Ford’s Conservative government in the next election.

The party is calling the convention “The Path to Victory”, but before that they have to get past a vote on whether Marit Stiles holds on to her job as leader.

As the doors opened to the convention hall Friday, delegates flooded in for a weekend of politics and policies, welcomed by their leader Marit Stiles.

Stiles says the goal of the convention is to lead the party back into power, but first she has to hold onto her job.

The party will vote Saturday on whether to hold a leadership review.

It follows the NDP’s second place finish in the provincial election last February, holding onto official opposition, but losing NDP seats, and finishing third in the popular vote.

That also follows Bonnie Crombie’s resignation as Liberal leader, following her own party’s showing in the election.

READ MORE: Ontario Liberal party leader Bonnie Crombie announces resignation

But NDP MPPs and delegates say they don’t see any serious challenge to Stiles’ leadership.

“You can always do better, alright? I mean you take steps, one at a time – so we move forward, and we take another step,” said Alison Bailey, a Hamilton delegate.

“She’s been traveling the province, she’s been listening deeply to people in Ontario, and she’s got a really good strong sense of where we need to be for the next election,” said Alexa Gilmour, the NDP MPP convention organizer.

The NDP says the real job is coming up with policies to defeat Doug Ford.

“We have clear policies and resolutions right now that will address, for example, the high costs of groceries — that’s something that people need the government to do something about,” said Hamilton MPP Sandy Shaw. “We will also have a resolution that will address the fact that people are struggling to find a home or put a roof over their heads.”

“The path of victory is to start talking about health care — things that to matter people,” said Niagara Falls MPP Wayne Gates. “We have the highest youth unemployment right now anywhere — our kids and our grandkids can’t find jobs.”

Laura Walton, the head of the Ontario Federation of Labour, said at the convention that an important step in reaching power is in re-establishing the connection the NDP lost with unions.

Over time there has been a disconnect, but I think there are also other parties who are trying to promote that they have a labour connection and it’s not always as deep as it seems,” said Walton. “I think it’s so important to consider that workers were the foundation of the NDP, so it’s incumbent on us in the NDP to also be going into and centering workers in all that we do.”

Around 1,000 delegates are attending the convention, coming from ridings all across Ontario.

After the leadership vote on Saturday, one of the convention highlights will be hearing from Manitoba Premier Wab Kinew, about how to win over the Conservatives.

WATCH MORE: Supporters cheer as NDP Leader Marit Stiles forms Official Opposition again