Fatima Shaban will be the NDP’s Scarborough Southwest candidate for upcoming provincial byelection

The Ontario NDP’s candidate in this year’s upcoming provincial byelection in Scarborough Southwest will be Fatima Shaban.

She was voted in to the position after the local riding association’s nomination meeting last night (Tuesday, April 28) at Birchcliff Bluffs United Church. Also seeking the nomination at last night’s meeting were Veronica Javier and Khalid Ahmed.

Shaban most recently ran for the federal NDP in the April 13 Scarborough Southwest byelection which saw Doly Begum elected for the Liberals.

Shaban is a parent, tenant organizer, and a champion for working class families in Scarborough with a long track record of fighting for the rights of low-to-moderate income families, and is currently organizing for her neighbours in pushing back against above-guideline rent increases, said the Ontario NDP is a news release on Wednesday, April 29.

“Working families in Scarborough Southwest need a fighter in their corner,” said Shaban in the news release. “I am deeply honoured to have the trust and support of New Democrats in Scarborough Southwest. Together, with Marit Stiles and the Ontario NDP, I am ready to deliver a more affordable future for Ontario!”

Marit Stiles, Leader of the Official Opposition Ontario NDP was at last night’s meeting to welcome Shaban as the provincial candidate for Scarborough Southwest which must take place by Sept. 3 at the latest.

“New Democrats have a proud and long history here in Scarborough Southwest,” said Stiles. “For the past eight years, Scarborough Southwest has had strong, reliable New Democrat representation. We have proudly represented Scarborough Southwest since 2018, and this community knows we fight for them. With a local champion like Fatima carrying our banner, we are ready to build on that proud history and deliver a more affordable future for every family in Scarborough – lower costs, better transit, and a Queen’s Park that actually listens.”  

The NDP had held the Scarborough Southwest seat provincially since the election of Doly Begum (at that time a member of the NDP) since 2018 until February of this year. Before that, the provincial riding was held by Liberal MPP Lorenzo Berardinetti from 2003 to 2018.

However, Begum left the NDP and stepped down as MPP to run federally for the Liberals in this month’s Scarborough Southwest byelection.

Begum’s decision to seek the federal Scarborough Southwest seat for the Liberals after former MP Bill Blair stepped down in February of this year to become Canada’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom set off a round of political musical chairs in East Toronto.

After Begum said she was stepping down as MPP, Beaches-East York Liberal MP Erskine-Smith declared the next day that he would be seeking the nomination for his party in the Scarborough Southwest provincial riding. Erskine-Smith is also eyeing a run at the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.

The Liberals nomination meeting is set for Saturday, May 9, at Birchmount Park Collegiate Institute and the four candidates seeking the seat are Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, Qadira Jackson, Ahsanul Hafiz, and Mahmuda Nasrin.

If Erskine-Smith wins the provincial Liberal nomination for Scarborough-Southwest, he will resign his position as Beaches-East York MP and trigger the need for a federal byelection in what would then be his former riding.