Professor wins NDP nod for Oxford riding federal byelection

Western University professor Cody Groat will represent the NDP in the upcoming federal byelection in Oxford.

Groat is an assistant professor in history and Indigenous studies at the university in London. He defeated former federal NDP candidate Matthew Chambers for the spot on the Oxford ballot following a nomination meeting this week.

“It feels exciting. This is the best chance that Oxford has had to flip the riding in a very long time,” Groat said in an interview Wednesday.

“I’ve seen excitement not only in Oxford but also through NDP riding associations across Southwestern Ontario who’ve actively contributed volunteers and financial resources to the campaign,” he said.

A Mohawk and band member of the Six Nations of the Grand River, Groat has spent most of his life in Ingersoll, where he resides. He has volunteered on past federal and provincial election campaigns for NDP candidates outside his home riding and is an active member of various organizations and local hospitals.

If elected, Groat would be the first Indigenous person to represent Oxford.

The number of votes cast Tuesday, and the margin won by him, have not been made public.

The federal seat is open after Dave MacKenzie, who held the Oxford riding for the Conservatives for 19 years, retired in late January.

Groat will run against Conservative candidate Arpan Khanna to replace MacKenzie in the Tory stronghold. Khanna, a lawyer who ran unsuccessfully for the Tories in Brampton in 2019 and served as the co-chair of Pierre Poilievre’s Ontario leadership campaign, won the Conservative nomination last month following a controversial nomination race against two others.

So far, nobody vying for the Liberal nod in Oxford has put their name forward publicly.

Groat said he plans to meet with local officials and Oxford MPP Ernie Hardeman in the coming weeks and begin canvassing as early as this weekend. “We are fully resourced and volunteer-ready and going to get things going as soon as today or tomorrow.”

The date for the looming byelection must be announced before July 29.

Calvi Leon is a Local Journalism Initiative Reporter. The initiative is funded by the Government of Canada.