What to know
- Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith has filed a formal appeal after narrowly losing the Ontario Liberal nomination in Scarborough Southwest by 19 votes to Ahsanul Hafiz.
- He is alleging potential irregularities in the vote, including claims that more ballots may have been counted than the number of registered voters who participated.
- Ontario Liberal Party House Leader John Fraser has defended the nomination results, saying Erskine-Smith should provide evidence if he is challenging the outcome.
- The Scarborough Southwest seat is set for a by-election before August, with the NDP having nominated Fatima Shaban and the Progressive Conservatives still selecting a candidate.
Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith has officially begun the formal process of challenging the Ontario Liberal nomination results in Scarborough Southwest, which he lost by just 19 votes.
According to media reports, Erskine-Smith filed a notice of appeal with the Ontario Liberal Party on Tuesday, only days after narrowly losing the nomination race in Scarborough Southwest to Ahsanul Hafiz.
Erskine-Smith is a long-time Member of Parliament and former federal cabinet minister who has also previously considered a bid for Liberal leadership. His recent defeat in the nomination race has therefore attracted attention within the party and among political observers.
After Saturday’s result, Erskine-Smith spoke to reporters and raised concerns about the voting process, suggesting there may have been issues with voter identification checks. Since then, he has expanded on those concerns in his formal appeal.
According to media reports, Erskine-Smith’s filing alleges that there were more ballots counted than the number of registered voters recorded as having cast ballots, a discrepancy he argues should be independently reviewed before the result is finalized.
Ontario Liberal Party Interim leader John Fraser defended the nomination process on Monday, saying the results stand as announced. Fraser also suggested that if Erskine-Smith believes there were problems, he should present clear evidence through the party’s official appeals process.
Erskine-Smith currently represents the federal riding of Beaches-East York, where he has served since 2015. He has also held federal cabinet responsibilities, including roles connected to Housing, Infrastructure, and Communities.
Now Toronto reached out to Erskine-Smith and the Ontario Liberal Party for comment but did not receive responses by publication.
The Scarborough Southwest seat has been vacant since February following the resignation of former MPP Doly Begum, who stepped down to pursue a federal nomination in the riding. Begum later won the federal race in April.
Erskine-Smith’s provincial ambitions, including a potential run for Ontario Liberal leadership, go back to the 2023 leadership race, where he finished second to Bonnie Crombie.
He has not yet said whether he still plans to pursue leadership of the party moving forward.
Premier Doug Ford has not announced a date for the Scarborough Southwest by-election, which must be held before August. The PC’s has not yet named its candidate, while the NDP have selected Fatima Shaban as its candidate.
