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Ontario opposition leaders convene for Ryerson’s Democracy Forum

Images of three people in front of a glass building with white text in a purple box on the left.
The Ontario Liberals, NDP and Greens were invited to speak about why they are right candidate to challenge Premier Doug Ford in the June provinical election. Collaboration among the opposition parties was a strong theme in the forum. Photo provided by the Ryerson Democracy Forum.
Daniel Centeno - CJRU - Toronto • ON | 26-01-2022
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In the lead up to the 2022 Ontario provincial election in June, leaders of the Liberal, New Democrats (NDP) and Green parties join Ryerson's Democracy Forum to discuss why they are the right candidate to challenge Premier Doug Ford.

The forum is moderated by Toronto Star columnist and Ryerson professor Martin Regg Cohn, and allows each leader to discuss their plans for Ontario and the early polling results.

While Ford has 30 per cent approval rating acording to the Angus Reid Institute poll, the Progressive Conservatives are expected to remain in power as a minority government.

Questions from the online audience centered on the possibility of further collaboration between opposition parties. The NDP's Andrea Horwath, Liberals' Steven Del Duca and the Greens' Mike Schreiner all said they will not support a Conservative minority, but did not dismiss some form of support for each other.

The possibility of a coalition government was brought up, but Horwath and Del Duca did not confirm whether it could happen if neither party wins the election.

Horwath, who has been leader of her party since 2009, reiterated the NDP’s 40 seats and why the party should be viewed as the alternative to the current government.

As the leader of the official opposition, she referenced the Liberals' 2018 performance when they were reduced to seven seats, and why the electorate may be looking for a new voice to seriously challenge Ford.

Del Duca, who has been the Liberals leader since 2020, spoke about how his party differs from the one led by Kathleen Wynne, and how the Liberals expect to rebuild themselves to regain official party status.

The third speaker was the Greens' Mike Schreiner, who won the first Ontario Greens seat in 2018 representing Guelph.

When asked about collaboration opportunities with other parties, Schreiner said he is willing to do so and explained his experience with working each party in the Ontario House of Commons.

Further, Schreiner was asked to comment on the performance and turmoil of the federal Greens and how it may affect the Ontario Greens in June.  He said the two parties function separately, and that his party is united with a strong showing of support and funding behind it.

Scheiner said he has been in contact with former federal Greens leader Annamie Paul, who said she is taking a break from politics for the time being.

Toronto Centre provincial candidates, including incumbent NDP Suze Morrison, are expected to join the forum in the coming months once party platforms are released.

The Democracy Forum has been central towards providing both Toronto Centre and Ontario politicians with a platform to speak to students and young prospective voters. Due to the pandemic, the forum has been online since March 2020.

The Ontario provincial Election is set for June 2.

The forum may shift to in-person once Ryerson University campus reopens in February.

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