NDP STEP ASIDE IN EGLINTON LAWRENCE RIDING

 Did Natasha’s Bold NDP Election Poison Pill Move
Hand Victory to the Liberals?

By Stephen Weir

Did Natasha’s bold election move last week in the Etobicoke–Lawrence riding win one for the Left, or did she hand a victory to the Conservatives?

Natasha Doyle-Merrick, the NDP candidate in the Conservative-leaning and affluent riding of Etobicoke–Lawrence, announced last week that she was ending her campaign, leaving the Liberals and the Conservatives to battle it out in today’s election.

The Caribbean Canadian social activist sent a copy of her Twitter withdrawal statement to me, who reposted it after confirming its authenticity with her campaign.

“I recognize that the race in Eglinton–Lawrence (including the Yonge–Eglinton area) is a clear two-party contest between the Liberals and Conservatives. To prevent a Conservative win and more years of neglect, I’m stepping aside to avoid a vote split,” said Doyle-Merrick.

In an official campaign press release, the former candidate expanded on her decision to withdraw.

“Lawrence Heights is my home. It is a community of talented, intelligent, and ambitious people who deserve to be heard—not just used every four years for votes,” she wrote.

“This election is crucial because Doug Ford and the Conservatives have shown zero interest in delivering support to allresidents in the riding.”

For the past eight years, Robin Martin, a white lawyer, has served as a backbencher at Queen’s Park, making little impact in the legislature. She is not seeking re-election in 2025. Instead, the PC Party has put forward Michelle Cooper, a wealthy former Holt Renfrew executive and party fundraiser, as their candidate.

Cooper’s first event in the riding? A $1,000-a-plate breakfast fundraiser featuring Premier Doug Ford as the guest speaker.

According to The Canadian Press, Cooper has avoided media interviews.

The Liberal candidate in the race is 46-year-old Vince Gasparro, a retired banker and bureaucrat who describes himself as “fiscally responsible and socially progressive.” His goal? To retake Eglinton–Lawrence in this snap election.

In the 2022 election, Doyle-Merrick and the NDP finished a distant third. The PC Party narrowly defeated the Liberals by just 524 votes.

Will NDP voters shift their support to the Liberals, flipping the seat from the Ford government? Was Natasha Doyle-Merrick’s bold poison pill sacrifice a strategic masterstroke—or a fatal miscalculation?

Stay tuned tonight when the votes are counted.

EDITOR'S NOTE: MICHELLE COOPER , PC, WON BY ABOUT 100 VOTES