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Voters are feeling \u201cdiscouraged\u201d amid international conflicts including a possible tariff war with the U.S., said Dennis Pilon, a political science professor at York University.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Stiles has been positioning herself as \u2018safe hands,\u2019 and as a leader who is going to consult and bring groups together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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But the challenge of being the leader of an opposition party for years is often public recognition, Pilon said, which is something she\u2019ll have to focus on in the few weeks leading up to the vote.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think the struggle will be for her to make the most of whatever opportunities that she gets to do,\u201d said Pilon.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s got to remind everybody of the track record of this government. She\u2019s got to pick out the issues \u2014 and there are many \u2014 that she thinks will appeal to the group of voters that might come over to the New Democrats beyond their base.\u201d<\/p>\n
Reaching outside her party is all the more important with some in the base already distrustful of Stiles\u2019s leadership.<\/p>\n
In 2023, Stiles came under fire after she booted Hamilton Centre MPP Sarah Jama from the NDP caucus. Jama had posted a statement on the Israel-Hamas war that failed to mention or condemn the Oct. 7 attack on Israeli civilians. Stiles later ousted her after a series of moves from Jama that either publicly defied Stiles or caught her unaware.<\/p>\n
The decision to oust Jama drew criticism even from New Democrats, some of whom accused the Ontario NDP leadership of failing to support racialized voices. Matthew Green, federal NDP MP for Hamilton Centre, released a statement saying he was frustrated with the provincial party\u2019s decision, while the NDP riding association in Kitchener Centre called for Stiles to resign.<\/p>\n
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Last month, Jama announced that her application to run in the upcoming Ontario election in Hamilton Centre as NDP was rejected, resulting in her current run as an independent. Hamilton Centre\u2019s provincial NDP riding association then accused the party of failing to provide fair treatment to Jama and the electoral district\u2019s New Democrats.<\/p>\n
When asked about the allegations, Stiles said the NDP provincial director \u201cconducts the same process\u201d for every applicant and she trusts his decision.<\/p>\n
Voters will decide if Stiles has a chance to become premier or reclaim her title as Official Opposition leader when they go to the ballot boxes later this month.<\/p>\n
One thing is for sure, her younger sister said: this is not about dipping her toes into the water. It\u2019s a confident dive straight into the deep end.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe likes to win,\u201d Enid Stiles said. \u201cShe likes to get things done, and so if she thinks that she can get something done, she\u2019s going to make every effort to do so and not wait on the sidelines for others to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n