Amid Conservative divide in stronghold Oxford, NDP eye byelection opening

Two candidates seeking the NDP nomination in the looming federal byelection in Oxford hope to turn the Tory stronghold orange following a divisive Conservative nomination race.

Western University professor Cody Groat and former federal NDP candidate Matthew Chambers are vying for the party’s nomination in a riding Dave MacKenzie held for the Conservatives from 2004 until January.

“I think this is a turning point. Now that we don’t see Dave running as an incumbent, I think there is a chance to see change in the riding,” said Groat, an assistant professor in history and Indigenous studies at Western University.

Groat, who is Mohawk from the Six Nations of the Grand River Territory, has spent most of his life in Ingersoll but grew up in Foldens and Mt. Elgin. With experience volunteering on past federal and provincial election campaigns for NDP candidates outside his home riding, he feels prepared to serve his community in public office.

“I’ve always tried to be a part of the community and volunteer, and to me, this is a natural step,” he said, citing his board positions with local hospitals and organizations, including Stevenson Children’s Camp and the Museum of Ontario Archeology in London.

Chambers, who also lives in Ingersoll, is looking to clinch the federal NDP nomination for the third time after representing the party in the 2019 and 2021 elections.

“It’s very important for a member of Parliament or anyone who holds office to be an active community member. I don’t think we’ve seen that in the last little while,” said Chambers, a Thames Valley District school board custodian.

Like Groat, Chambers is an active member of various organizations, including the Stich Supper Club, Oxford People Against the Landfill (OPAL) alliance, Kiwanis Club of Ingersoll and the Oxford County pride committee.

The friendly rivals, who’ve known each other for 15 years, make for a nomination race starkly different from that seen with the Tories. The upcoming election, they agree, is a chance to “make significant gains in the vote share.”

“This moment of division within the Conservative community, where they are actively contesting what it means to be a conservative, is an opportunity for New Democrats to come together and bring about change that reflects the electoral victory of Kimble Sutherland as the NDP MPP between 1990 -1995,” they wrote in a joint statement by email.

Lawyer and Woodstock resident Arpan Khanna won the Conservative nomination last month following a heated race against two others, including the former MP’s daughter, Deb Tait.

The nomination race was full of conflicts, including the disqualification of one candidate and accusations the party tilted the outcome toward Khanna, who ran unsuccessfully for the Tories in Brampton in 2019 and served as the co-chair of Pierre Poilievre’s leadership campaign in Ontario.

The latest blow-up came last week after the party’s Oxford riding association president Catherine Agar and vice-president Brian Kaufman quit days after Khanna was voted in.

As for the Liberals, no nomination candidates have yet to put their names forward publicly.

“While there is still time to apply to be a nomination contestant, there are multiple people interested and I expect that the contest will start in the next few weeks,” Michael Odumodu, chair of the party’s local riding association, said by email.

Oxford Liberals interested in running are encouraged to contact the party for more information, he said.

“No one is going to put their thumb on the scale to prefer one candidate over the other or deprive an approved candidate a chance to compete,” Odumodu said.

The Oxford seat has been a Tory stronghold federally since MacKenzie snatched it from the Liberals in an open race in 2004 and provincially since Progressive Conservative MPP Ernie Hardeman was elected in 1995.

The federal byelection for the riding must be called before July 29.

An NDP nomination meeting will be held April 17, with the candidate determined the next day after a 24-hour membership vote.

Groat and Chambers plan to hold a meet and greet at the Ingersoll Public Library on April 15 from 1 pm to 3 pm

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