Adedokun Waliyu 
Yasir Naqvi has officially launched his bid for the leadership of the Ontario Liberal Party.
The Ottawa Centre MP, who has already stepped down from his role as parliamentary secretary, filed his nomination on Friday, according to Elections Ontario.
Naqvi says he wanted to vie for the job because he feels “the promise of Ontario is slipping away” amid education and health care cuts made by the Progressive Conservatives. He also singled out soaring housing and grocery costs as issues plaguing the province and its residents.
“My mission is to transform our party, in every single riding, all 124. So we can stop (Ontario Premier Doug) Ford in 2026 – and get back to the promise of Ontario,” he said in a press release.
“It shouldn’t matter if you are born in Windsor, Timmins or Karachi. In our province, you should have the opportunity to succeed _ to lead a good life that’s affordable. That’s the promise of Ontario.”
Naqvi joins Nate Erskine-Smith, Liberal MP for the Toronto riding of Beaches-East York, and Ted Hsu, MPP for Kingston and the Islands, in the leadership race.
Mississauga Mayor Bonnie Crombie has set up an exploratory committee before making an official decision.
Toronto-area MPP Adil Shamji is also considering a leadership bid.
Naqvi was elected federally in 2021 but had served for nearly nine years at the provincial legislature, including turns as Ontario’s attorney general and labour minister.
The deadline to register for the leadership contest is Sept. 5.
Party members will cast their votes by ranked ballot on Nov. 25 and Nov. 26, with round-by-round results and a new leader announced the following weekend on Dec. 2.
The new leader will replace Steven Del Duca, who resigned after the party failed to win enough seats in last year’s election to have official party status — for the second campaign in a row.
