August 18, 2025
RED FM News Desk
Ontario NDP Leader Marit Stiles says finishing second in the last provincial election wasn’t good enough and she’s not taking anything for granted ahead of a mandatory leadership review at next month’s party convention in Niagara Falls.
In an interview, Stiles admitted the party underperformed during the snap election called earlier this year and said she must work hard to maintain confidence in her leadership. She’s been touring the province over the summer to connect with voters and party members.
“There’s no question—finishing second, I consider that a failure,” she said. “I want us to deliver the results Ontarians need, because right now, people simply cannot afford a government like Doug Ford’s.”
Premier Doug Ford won his third consecutive majority government in February, in an election overshadowed by Donald Trump’s tariffs and the escalating U.S.-Canada trade dispute. The NDP won 27 seats—four fewer than in 2022—retaining Official Opposition status, but slipped to third in the popular vote with only 18%. The Liberals won nearly 30% of the vote but secured just 14 seats.
Stiles said the snap election forced the NDP to make “difficult choices,” including scaling back campaigns in weaker ridings to focus on defending incumbent MPPs under pressure from a well-funded Progressive Conservative campaign.
“Doug Ford directly targeted our strongest ridings—those MPPs who’ve consistently held him accountable,” she said.
Stiles acknowledged internal criticism since becoming leader in 2023. One major controversy came when she removed former Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama from the caucus following comments Jama made in support of Palestinians after the October 2023 Hamas-led attacks on Israel. Jama was later barred from running as an NDP candidate, sparking calls from some party members in her riding for a leadership review.
Ultimately, NDP candidate Robin Lennox defeated Jama, who ran as an independent, reclaiming the seat for the party.
According to NDP rules, a leadership review vote is held at every convention. If a majority of delegates support holding a leadership race, one must be organized within a year.
Next month’s convention will take place one week after the Ontario Liberal Party holds its annual meeting, where leader Bonnie Crombie will also face a leadership review.
NDP strategist Kim Wright said there’s little appetite within the party for a leadership race right now, but noted there is a growing desire to win.
“I’m not satisfied with losing,” Wright said. “More and more New Democrats realize that to make change, you have to win.”
Peter Graefe, a political science professor at McMaster University, doesn’t expect a serious push to remove Stiles at the convention but noted the party has failed to build on the momentum it gained in 2018 when it became the Official Opposition.
“Marit Stiles is still relatively unknown to many Ontarians. Even those who know her name don’t know much about her,” he said. “She’s facing an unglamorous but necessary task: getting NDP activists organized in the toughest ridings.”
Trent University political science professor Cristine de Clercy said the party has been rebuilding since former leader Andrea Horwath stepped down. Given the difficult conditions, she said Stiles’ performance in the most recent campaign was commendable.
“The fact that she retained the NDP’s position as Official Opposition during her first campaign, while up against a veteran like Ford and a resurgent Liberal Party, is actually quite impressive,” de Clercy said.
Still, she warned that the NDP needs to focus on rebuilding and fundraising if it wants to improve before the next election. Launching a new leadership race now would be counterproductive.
“Ontario New Democrats don’t want to be hunting for a new leader at the same time the federal party is,” she said. “NDP members across Canada want leadership stability.”
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