A new chapter - and it starts in our shared east end
It's time for change at Queen's Park. And that change starts in Scarborough Southwest.
I was invited to Harvard last week to speak about Canada’s role in the world and to reflect on the shared housing challenge. What struck me most, though, were the stories from Canadian students worried about their visas, and the obvious chilling effect of government policy on their ability to speak up and be politically active.
Students here in Ontario are in a different fight. Doug Ford has slashed OSAP support, trying to balance the post-secondary books on the backs of low and middle income students and their families. It’s regressive, wrong, and should be reversed.
Which brings me to the main reason for writing today: a move from federal to provincial politics.
Thanks to everyone across Beaches-East York for the ongoing support.
Our politics is built on trust and we’ve worked hard to earn the trust of east end voters through four elections since 2015.
That grassroots approach has worked, I’ve been lucky to serve Beaches-East York for over a decade now, and our community has shaped me as a person and a politician.
Thanks to your support here at home, I’ve been able to do politics differently in Ottawa and bring a sense of principled independence to the role.
And we’ve been able to make a real difference. Delivering affordable housing and transit support for our city. Funding for pediatric cancer research. Stronger climate action and clean innovation. New protections and income supports for workers. A public health approach to addiction. Support for urban Indigenous communities. Rules to strengthen public safety online. Advocacy to defend human rights and civil liberties. And more.
We’ve also faced major challenges head on together, from a global pandemic to the tragic Danforth shooting.
We’ve made a difference, together. There is no doubt. And now there’s an opportunity to make an even bigger difference with your help.
A new chapter and a bigger difference.
I left law for politics more than a decade ago to make a difference for our community and country by rebuilding our federal politics.
Today, the biggest opportunity to make a difference is at Queen’s Park. Ontario is overpriced and mismanaged. We need to hold Ford accountable, and to deliver the smart, fair, and honest leadership that’s sorely missing.
We came close to leading renewal in 2023. 46.5% on the final ballot. And a lot of lessons learned along the way.
We’re now building an even stronger team. Ready to win, together.
Change starts in Scarborough Southwest and our shared east end.
Mary-Margaret McMahon is already working hard in the legislature and there’s now a provincial by-election in Scarborough Southwest.
Our path to deliver change is clear: win the local Liberal nomination, flip a by-election where the party has come in 3rd for the last three elections, win the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party, and deliver overdue change at Queen’s Park.
If you live in Scarborough Southwest, register to vote in the nomination race here. And encourage others you know in the riding to do the same.
Anyone across Ontario can help our campaign — join the team at teamnate.ca
I’m all in for Ontario. And the change we need starts in Scarborough Southwest and across our shared east end. Anyone who lives here knows that life happens across our shared communities on both sides of Victoria Park.
Through high school, I played baseball at Birchmount and for Scarborough, as just one personal example. My family knows Birch Cliff, Cliffside, and the Bluffs all too well. My kids would live at the Eglinton Town Centre if they could.
As an MP, I’ve advocated for housing, transit, and affordability for residents across our city, and supported organizations that serve both ridings because they are shared communities.
These are communities that I know well and we will work relentlessly to deliver for.
To deliver economic opportunity, affordable homes, reliable fast transit, accessible healthcare, and excellence in education.
To deliver a serious government that works. And that works for all of us, not just Ford’s friends.
We deserve better. And if you want better, the answer is participation.
Q&A
How does the nomination process work?
You need to be a member of the Ontario Liberals (it’s free to join) and a resident of Scarborough Southwest to vote in the nomination.
If you live in Scarborough Southwest, sign up now!
If you know others who live in Scarborough Southwest, let us know by emailing info@teamnate.ca, and please share this with them and encourage them to register too.
When will the nomination take place?
We don’t yet know when the vote will take place, but expect it to happen shortly after the federal by-election in Scarborough Southwest.
There is some urgency to registering as many new members/voters as we can, so please help us grow the team!
When will you resign your federal seat?
I will resign my seat as soon as the provincial by-election is held, which is up to Doug Ford to call. I expect that to happen after the House rises in June, because Ford has suggested he’ll wait the full 6 months to call the race (he obviously doesn’t want me in the legislature).
In the meantime, I’m committed to supporting Prime Minister Carney’s government where every vote counts.
Why Scarborough Southwest and not another riding?
Our leader needs to be committed to seeking a seat in the legislature at the first available opportunity. I’m all in for Ontario.
And luckily, Scarborough Southwest is right next door to Beaches-East York, a shared community where I have strong connections both personal and political. It’s also where local name recognition and our broad base of volunteers across our shared east end can play a huge and positive role.