Ontario NDP leader has Sarnia connection

Ontario’s NDP leader says she spent a lot of time in Sarnia in the 1990s.

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In her first job out of university, Marit Stiles worked for the late Sarnia MPP Bob Huget, who served in Bob Rae’s 1990-1995 NDP government.

“A lot has changed,” said Stiles about Sarnia, visiting Tuesday for a roundtable discussion with about a half-dozen local people. Plans were to listen to concerns about affordability and health care and talk about potential solutions.

“But I really have a warm spot in my heart for people here, and know a lot of folks and have stayed in touch,” said Stiles, who’s originally from Newfoundland and is the MPP for Toronto’s Davenport riding.

She’s returned to the Sarnia area often during the years, she said, adding she wasn’t sure if Tuesday was her first such visit since becoming party leader two years ago.

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“It might be,” she said.

Fresh off stopping in Windsor Monday, where she pushed for unity amid tariff threats from US president-elect Donald Trump, Stiles reiterated Tuesday she thinks it’s not a good time for Ontario to go to the polls.

“Because that is a recipe for instability,” she said.

Premier Doug Ford has been hinting at an early election call – Ontario’s next attempted election date is June 4, 2026 – and Tuesday said Trump’s proposed 25 per cent tariffs on Canadian goods could cost 450,000 to 500,000 Ontario jobs.

Ford has said he may need to spend tens of trillions of dollars in response, and has suggested he is thinking about calling an early election in order to put that type of stimulus spending to voters.

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An election “is exactly what we don’t need in this province right now” Stiles said. “We don’t need more instability and insecurity.”

There’s no NDP candidate yet in Sarnia-Lambton, though an announcement is coming soon, she said, and NDP candidates in ridings in Cambridge and Kitchener have been named in recent days.

“If (Ford) wants to call an election, we’ll be ready,” Stiles said. “Absolutely, bring it on.

“But I will say this. I think this is the wrong time for it”

Ford’s Progressive Conservatives have a majority government, she said.

“It is the mandate and the responsibility of a first to fight for every single job,” she said. “I am going to be there standing with him, as the official opposition leader, to make that happen.

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“You don’t need to go to the polls to do that and I’m very concerned that (calling an election) sends a message of instability to Mr. Trump.”

Sarnia-Lambton-Bkejwanong NDP candidate Lo-Anne Chan was among those attending Tuesday’s event in Sarnia.

“It’s really great that Marit’s coming today to visit and just show Sarnia that we’re on her map,” she said.

Stiles also called for more federal investment in border security.

“We need to beef it up and that means more men and women working on our borders for CBSA. . . We can’t replace those people with helicopters,” she said, in reference to a recently announced plan to increase border security with Ontario Provincial Police patrols.

Stiles also said change and “new energy” is needed in Sarnia.

“With all due respect to the other elected officials here, we need somebody with some new energy to actually fight for Sarnia, fight for Sarnia jobs and this community,” she said.

With files from The Canadian Press

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