The NDP held its caucus retreat in Peterborough during its visit while Stiles spoke at the Holiday Inn on Wednesday. She addressed issues such as the job market, emergency room wait times, the lack of affordable housing, homelessness, the high cost of living and more.
The 45th Ontario general election is tentatively scheduled for April 11, 2030, unless the Lieutenant Governor of Ontario dissolves the Legislative Assembly of Ontario earlier.
The Peterborough-Kawartha riding has been won by the Conservative Party for the past three elections dating back to 2018. MPP Dave Smith and Doug Ford successfully won and held their seats in their respective elections.
Stiles pointed to Ford for the problems he allegedly created and failed to solve since being elected.
“I think people were sold a bill of goods by Doug Ford in the last election again and they are not seeing the results,” said Stiles. “What they are seeing are continued job losses, what they are feeling is that wait that never ends in the emergency room and they are seeing affordable housing being built, more people becoming homeless, life becoming more unaffordable and they are sick and tired of it.”
With the municipal election on Oct. 26 approaching, Stiles stresses the importance of a symbiotic relationship between municipal and provincial politics and how they can better the lives they govern.
“Doug Ford has done everything he can to take away the power of our local communities to get things done,” said Stiles. “Our municipalities are forced to pay for everything and they have very little control. We’ve seen him override again and again the decisions that our municipalities make so we’ve put forward many times in the past many times and we will keep doing that a new deal for municipalities and we believe in the role of local government and that government is extremely important but they need a real partner in the provincial government who respects them and respects the decisions that community members make.”
Stiles criticized Ford for not living up to the promises he made since he was first elected Premier in 2018. She said he did not end the hallway healthcare crisis, deliberately invested public healthcare dollars in privatizing healthcare and education, not take accountability or provide transparency and continued making deals with his ‘billionaire friends’ with no intention to aid the economy.
“He has failed to completely address many of the things he was going to address now and more than eight years ago,” said Stiles.
Stiles noted that Peterborough-Kawartha has been a bellwether riding, often voting for the party that wins its respective election. Since 1977, the Peterborough-Kawartha riding has voted for the party with the most seats in every election.
“We know we need to win in Peterborough to form government in the next election and that’s what we intend to do,” said Stiles.
The NDP leader remarked that her party has been gaining momentum and plans to give Ford and the Conservative Party a run for their money in the next provincial election in 2030.
“This past summer showed definitively that the next election will be fought between the Conservatives and the Ontario NDP,” said Stiles. “We picked up a decisive win in Scarborough Southwest, electing an incredible MPP in Fatima Shaban and nearly doubled our votes in Hamilton East—Stoney Creek. As we head into the legislative session, we are ready to bring pragmatic solutions to make life more affordable and hold this government to account.”
With no term limits for the Premier of Ontario, Ford is seeking a fourth in 2030. Stiles and the NDP are considered the leader of the official opposition and are challenging for Premier in the next provincial election.
“Ontario has had enough of Doug Ford’s scandals,” concluded Stiles. “New Democrats are ready for the fight ahead; bringing practical solutions to get your money back from his insiders and put it back in your pockets, where it belongs. That’s the work you can expect from us this session.”
