The Ontario NDP has appointed a Toronto People’s Deputy as interim leader and has postponed its decision to set a date for party members to choose a replacement for former leader Andrea Horwath.
The provincial council of the new Democrats met Tuesday evening and chose Peter Tabuns as the party’s interim leader, following Horwath’s resignation on election night.
The meeting of the governing body of the party was also expected to establish some rules for the leadership race, such as the registration fee for the candidates and the deadline for the competition. However, party officials said in a press release that the council will hold another meeting to determine the rules and date.
NDP caucus members who have said they are considering leadership bids include Laura Mae Lindo (MPP of Kitchener Center), Marit Stiles (Davenport) and Wayne Gates (Niagara Falls).
Tabuns has served as the party’s environmental and energy critic and has been the Toronto-Danforth MP since 2006, making him the second longest-serving member in the caucus, after Horwath.
“I appreciate your trust and your trust,” Tabuns said in a tweet thanking party members for their appointment. “You know I’m going to fight for the people of this province, I know you too.”
Andrea Horwath said on June 2 that he would resign as NDP leader after watching the party through four elections. The former Hamilton MP has not explicitly ruled out running for mayor of that city in the October municipal elections. (Tara Walton / The Canadian Press)
All 31 members of the NDP caucus had recommended Tabuns for interim work, a party source told CBC News earlier this month, making the provincial council approval a mere formality.
This role will temporarily make Tabuns the leader of the Official Opposition, putting him at the forefront and center of accountability in the legislature of Prime Minister Doug Ford and his 83-seat progressive Conservative majority government.
Ford and his cabinet were sworn in on Friday, but his government has not yet indicated when it will reconvene the legislature for a throne speech and a budget.
Horwath took over the leadership of the NDP in 2009 and increased the number of party seats in three successive elections, bringing them to Official Opposition status with 40 seats in 2018.
But the new Democrats lost nine of those seats in the June 2 election, and Horwath announced his resignation on election night, saying it was time for the torch to pass.
Since then, she has hinted that she might be considering a candidacy to become mayor of Hamilton.