Business owner Ahsanul Hafiz has triumphed in the competitive race to become the provincial Liberal candidate for Scarborough Southwest.
During a speech on Saturday, Hafiz expressed his gratitude to voters and his team for their support.
“Because of you guys, I’m here today,” he stated. “I know everybody put [in a] lot of effort and that is the beauty of democracy.”
Speaking with reporters after the nomination, Hafiz shared that he felt great but also exhausted.
“It [was] very difficult to sleep last night,” he mentioned. “It’s a very high [tension] nomination race. I had never seen a nomination race like this.”
Hafiz noted that he focused on engaging with the community during his campaign and now wants to celebrate this moment with them.
“[The] whole community was behind me,” he said. “I want to share the moment with my community today.”
Three other candidates were competing for the party’s nomination in the area: Qadira Jackson, Mahmuda Nasrin, and current Beaches East-York MP Nate Erskine-Smith.
For weeks, candidate organizers have been recruiting new members who voted using a ranked ballot system.
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The local campaign was intense, with apparent alliances forming among candidates aiming to defeat Liberal MP Nate Erskine-Smith. (Prasanjeet Choudhury/CBC)
The local campaign was intense, with apparent alliances forming between candidates trying to unseat Erskine-Smith. Jackson and Hafiz seemed to have reached an informal agreement of support in an effort to prevent the MP from winning. They both encouraged their supporters to select each other as their second choice on their ranked ballots.
Erskine-Smith sought the nomination as part of his second attempt at becoming Ontario Liberal leader. He finished strong as runner-up to former leader Bonnie Crombie in the 2023 race and was vocal about her ahead of the review that led to her resignation last September.
While it’s unclear what lies ahead for that bid, Erskine-Smith hinted at possibly contesting Hafiz’s win results.
“There was a ton of scrutineers in there, lots of stories about what’s happened inside, but I’ve got to debrief,” he said in the rainy parking lot outside the school where voting took place after initially avoiding reporters.
“I’ve spoken to a few scrutineers already who said they’ve never seen anything like it, and it’s unreal what happened in there.”
He indicated there were many voters facing “ID issues,” although Erskine-Smith’s chief scrutineers approved all results.
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In a post on social media, the Ontario Liberal Party remarked that Saturday’s atmosphere in Scarborough Southwest was ‘incredible.’ (Prasanjeet Choudhury/CBC)
Hafiz commented that he doesn’t want to dwell too much on Erskine-Smith’s claims, pointing out how packed the hallways were with people sporting Hafiz badges.</P
“So that is clear evidence of who is the real winner,” he said while adding that he believed everything went fairly and thought that the Ontario Liberal Party did “an excellent job.”</P
Erskine-Smith had previously stated he would resign from his federal position once a provincial byelection was announced. He shared an eleventh-hour video on social media featuring him talking with Prime Minister Mark Carney, who expressed hopes for seeing Erskine-Smith serving Scarborough residents.</P
The byelection came about following former Ontario NDP deputy leader Doly Begum’s unexpected switch from her role as Scarborough Southwest MPP to run for federal Liberals in that same riding. Her departure opened up a seat provincially which prompted Erskine-Smith’s announcement soon after regarding his intention for party nomination aimed at gaining entry into Queen’s Park.</P
Ahsanul Hafiz currently manages numerous Domino’s Pizza franchises throughout Ontario according to his campaign website.</P
The Ontario Liberal Party shared on social media that Saturday’s energy in Scarborough Southwest was “incredible.”</P
“After nearly eight years of Doug Ford and the PCs, people are tired of being ignored by an out-of-touch government and are ready for someone who will show up, listen, and fight for their community,” wrote the party. “Now we get to work.”
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