By Pepper Parr
February 12th, 2026
BURLINGTON, ON
Last night, over 400 people joined the Team Nate online event.
So, what is Team Nate?
Nate Erskine Smith is currently the MP for Beaches East York, a Toronto area riding.
Nathan Erskine Smith, who serves as the MP for Beaches East York, has expressed his desire to step away from federal politics and pursue a role as a provincial MPP.
The first move in this direction is to secure his nomination as the candidate for the Scarborough South West provincial seat so he can run in the upcoming by-election that may happen next summer.
The exact date of this by-election will be set by Premier Doug Ford.
This Scarborough West by-election is necessary because Doly Begum vacated her seat after becoming a federal MP under Mark Carney’s government.
Yes, it’s quite complicated.
But Nate isn’t fazed.
He views it as a straightforward three-step process.
First, get nominated for the Scarborough West seat; then win the by-election.
This would make him a provincial Liberal MPP, something Bonnie Crombie couldn’t achieve when she became leader of the Provincial Liberals.
If successful, he would then be positioned to run for leadership of the provincial Liberal Party and challenge Doug Ford to become Premier of Ontario.
Nate knows what he believes Ontario needs.
While he was somewhat vague about specific changes he’d implement if he were Premier, he communicates well about his character and values.
Nate Erskine Smith with his wife and two sons.
A family man with two boys, he aims to bring smart, fair, and honest governance to Queen’s Park.
He encourages those 400 participants from last night’s event to sign up at teamnate. ca so they can vote in this race and help create something better together.
Joining the Ontario Liberal Party doesn’t cost anything.
This is how winning teams come together, according to him.
Nate stated on Wednesday night that we deserve better than “this tired, incompetent, and self-dealing Conservative government.”
“Better is possible for Ontario,” he said. “If you want better, participation is key.”
Nate has had quite an interesting journey leading up to this point.
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Nate Erskine Smith is currently the MP for Beaches East York, a Toronto area riding.
Nathan Erskine Smith, who serves as the MP for Beaches East York, has expressed his desire to step away from federal politics and pursue a role as a provincial MPP.
The first move in this direction is to secure his nomination as the candidate for the Scarborough South West provincial seat so he can run in the upcoming by-election that may happen next summer.
The exact date of this by-election will be set by Premier Doug Ford.
This Scarborough West by-election is necessary because Doly Begum vacated her seat after becoming a federal MP under Mark Carney’s government.
Yes, it’s quite complicated.
But Nate isn’t fazed.
He views it as a straightforward three-step process.
First, get nominated for the Scarborough West seat; then win the by-election.
This would make him a provincial Liberal MPP, something Bonnie Crombie couldn’t achieve when she became leader of the Provincial Liberals.
If successful, he would then be positioned to run for leadership of the provincial Liberal Party and challenge Doug Ford to become Premier of Ontario.
Nate knows what he believes Ontario needs.
While he was somewhat vague about specific changes he’d implement if he were Premier, he communicates well about his character and values.
Nate Erskine Smith with his wife and two sons.
A family man with two boys, he aims to bring smart, fair, and honest governance to Queen’s Park.
He encourages those 400 participants from last night’s event to sign up at teamnate. ca so they can vote in this race and help create something better together.
Joining the Ontario Liberal Party doesn’t cost anything.
This is how winning teams come together, according to him.
Nate stated on Wednesday night that we deserve better than “this tired, incompetent, and self-dealing Conservative government.”
“Better is possible for Ontario,” he said. “If you want better, participation is key.”
Nate has had quite an interesting journey leading up to this point.
