Former cabinet minister and Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith is suggesting he may challenge the results of a nomination contest for a provincial riding after he came up short in the vote.
The Ontario Liberals voted on Saturday to nominate Ahsanul Hafiz as their candidate for the yet-to-be announced byelection in Scarborough Southwest.
Hafiz, a local businessman in the riding and vice-chair of the federal Liberal Party, won by just 19 votes – a number Erskine-Smith confirmed to reporters after the results.
But in his own comments after the vote, Erskine-Smith signalled he might challenge the results though he wanted to speak with his team.
He told reporters that scrutineers during the vote told him they’d “never seen anything like it.” Asked what he meant, Erskine-Smith said he was told by some scrutineers that half the people at one table had ID issues.
“I would like to hear from every single person who was in that room on our team to understand what took place and what their feeling is and if there is a legitimate reason to challenge,” Erskine-Smith said.
Hafiz said he doesn’t want to focus too much on Erskine-Smith’s allegations, noting that the hallways were filled with people wearing his badges.
“So that is the clear evidence of who is the real winner,” he said, adding he thought the process was fair and that the Ontario Liberal Party did “an excellent job.”
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Many eyes were on the nomination contest after Erskine-Smith announced he’d run.
He currently represents Beaches-East York, next door to Scarborough Southwest and ran for the provincial party’s leadership in 2023, losing Bonnie Crombie.
With the former federal cabinet minister planning to jump into the leadership race for the Ontario Liberals, winning a seat in the legislature would give him more visibility and allow him to challenge Premier Doug Ford head on.
As of Sunday, the leadership race only has two official contestants, Current MPP and former hospital president Lee Fairclough and former political staffer and strategist Dylan Marando. Others, including former federal cabinet minister Navdeep Bains, MPP Rob Cerjanec and housing advocate Eric Lombardi, are also exploring potential bids
Scarborough Southwest is the only provincial riding currently up for grabs.
Erskine-Smith also released a video on social media Friday showing him with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said it “hurts” the Liberal MP would be leaving federal politics.
But he’s faced concerns from other candidates of trying to use their community as a springboard towards the leadership.
Qadira Jackson, who ran for the Liberals in Scarborough Southwest in last year’s provincial election, says she and another candidate have agreed to place each other second on their ranked ballots to help ensure the winning candidate is local.
“I don’t want my riding to be used as a tool,” Jackson said.
Scarborough Southwest became an empty seat earlier this year when then Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum stepped down to run for the federal Liberals in one of two byelections in the province. Her departure was seen as a shocking move, having held such a high role in the provincial party.
Ford has not announced the timing for the provincial byelection, but it must be called by the summer.
—with files from The Canadian Press
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