Federal MP Nate Erskine-Smith has filed an appeal of the Liberal nomination vote he narrowly lost in the provincial riding of Scarborough Southwest on Saturday, disrupting the party's efforts to move past a contentious contest and unite behind the declared winner, businessman Ahsanul Hafiz, ahead of a summer byelection.
Erskine-Smith, who has represented the neighbouring Beaches-East York for 11 years, finished 19 votes behind Hafiz on the third ballot. He cites what he calls "serious irregularities" in the voting process, including claims that there were 34 more ballots in boxes than counted votes and that his scrutineers witnessed "serious inconsistencies" regarding proof of identification and residency for some voters.
The appeal reportedly states that Erskine-Smith does not intend to run again if the party voids Hafiz's nomination, "to avoid the perception of self-interest." This raises the possibility that Erskine-Smith could succeed in overturning the result, leaving Scarborough Southwest without a Liberal candidate in a potentially imminent byelection, while also depriving himself of a path to a provincial seat he sought before pursuing the Ontario Liberal leadership this fall.
Erskine-Smith had previously expressed concerns about the party establishment working against him, noting that party staffers were seen working for rival campaigns in the days leading up to the vote. He was also criticized for not being a team player in Ottawa after publicly complaining about feeling "disrespected" when demoted from cabinet under Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Hafiz, a member of the Ontario Liberal executive who owns over two dozen Domino's Pizza franchises, originally hails from Bangladesh and thanked the riding's large Bengali community for its support during the nomination race. Canadian citizenship was not required to vote in the contest, only residency in the riding.
The appeal adds another layer of uncertainty to the Ontario Liberal Party's plans as it seeks to rally behind a candidate for the Scarborough Southwest byelection. Erskine-Smith's outsider status within the party is further reinforced, even as he prepares for a second bid for the provincial leadership, having lost previously to Bonnie Crombie, who never won a seat and was defeated by Doug Ford in the last Ontario election.
