Politics of Toronto
Politics of Canadian city
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The politics of Toronto involve the election of representatives to the federal, provincial, and municipal levels of government in Ontario and Canada. A total of 24 Members of Parliament (MPs) representing Toronto sit in the 45th Canadian Parliament at the House of Commons of Canada in Ottawa (the federal capital), and another 25 Members of Ontario's Provincial Parliament (MPPs) sit in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario at Queen's Park, in Toronto. Being Ontario's capital, many provincial offices are located in the city.
Overview
In terms of electoral politics, Toronto has been an important source of support for the federal Liberal Party of Canada and the provincial Ontario Liberal Party although the downtown area tends to support the Ontario New Democratic Party (NDP).[1] The federal Conservative Party (CPC) and the provincial Progressive Conservative Party have historically been weaker in the city, but some Blue Grit (right-leaning) Liberals come from Toronto ridings.[2]
In the past, the Liberals usually dominated the inner portions of the city federally, and the outer portions were split between the Liberals and Progressive Conservatives (PC). However, the Liberals swept every seat in Toronto from 1993 federal election to 2004 federal election, when former city councillor and federal New Democratic Party leader Jack Layton won the Toronto—Danforth, a downtown riding. The NDP won two more seats in 2006 but lost one in 2008. In the 2011 federal election, Toronto sent nine CPC MPs to Ottawa, eight NDP MPs, and six LPC MPs, the first time that a centre-right party had won seats in Toronto since 1988. However, in 2015 federal election, the LPC swept every seat in Toronto.
Large parts of Toronto, mainly its outer portions, supported the right-wing government of Mike Harris during the 1995 general election and 1999 Ontario elections. However, largely as a result of amalgamating Metropolitan Toronto municipalities against the wishes of three quarters of voters in a municipal plebiscite, as well as of the downloading of responsibility for costly services onto the city, the Conservatives were shut out of Toronto in provincial elections from 2003 to 2013, when they won a by-election.
Businessman and politician Mel Lastman was the first mayor of the newly-amalgamated City of Toronto and the 62nd mayor of Toronto after he won the 1997 municipal election and was re-elected in 2000 municipal election.[3] In December 2003, centre-left politician, David Miller was elected as Toronto's 63rd mayor and was re-elected in November 2006 with nearly 60% of the popular vote with a mandate to make Toronto a city of prosperity, livability, and opportunity for all.[4] Miller declined to run in the following election and a conservative ally, Rob Ford, won the 2010 election handily. Three years later, however, Ford's tumultuous reign and admission to smoking crack, as well as other indiscretions that attracted unwanted international media attention, led City Council to remove many of his powers and much of his office's budget. In the following election, Ford was forced to drop out because of treatment for leomorphic liposarcoma, a rare form of cancer.[5] The 2014 mayoral election was won by John Tory, a lawyer and a former a talk show host, businessman, Member of Provincial Parliament, and Leader of the Official Opposition at Queen's Park (a metonym for Ontario Legislative Building or the Government of Ontario). Among Tory's top priorities are tackling transit and traffic congestion.[6]
The Stronger City of Toronto for a Stronger Ontario Act, 2006 (Bill 53) was enacted by the Legislative Assembly of Ontario on June 12, 2006.[7] The provincial law changed the city's legal powers and responsibilities.[8]
Members of Parliament
Members by riding
Members of Provincial Parliament
Toronto is represented by 25 MPPs.
Members by riding
| Riding | Name | Party | Prior Experience | Education | Assumed Office | Born In | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beaches—East York | Mary-Margaret McMahon | Liberal | Community animator, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 32 Beaches-East York | Carleton University (BA) | 2025 | 1966 | ||
| Davenport | Marit Stiles | NDP | Non-profit director, yrustee for the Toronto District School Board, president of the federal New Democratic Party | 2018 | 1969 | |||
| Don Valley East | Adil Shamji | Liberal | Emergency physician | University of Western Ontario (BMSc), University of Toronto (MD), University of Oxford (MPP) | 2022 | |||
| Don Valley West | Stephanie Bowman | Liberal | Accountant, bank executive, member of the board of the Bank of Canada, senior executive at Scotiabank, partner at Ernst & Young | University of Western Ontario (BA) | 2022 | |||
| Don Valley North | Jonathan Tsao | Liberal | Senior political advisor in the Government of Ontario, director of the Yee Hong Centre for Geriatric Care, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 33 Don Valley East, member of the board of management for the Toronto Zoo | University of Toronto (MS), London School of Economics (MSc) | 2025 | 1987 | ||
| Eglinton—Lawrence | Michelle Cooper | Progressive Conservative | Executive director of the PC Ontario Fund | York University (BA) (MA) | 2025 | |||
| Etobicoke Centre | Kinga Surma | Progressive Conservative | Toronto City Council | 2018 | ||||
| Etobicoke—Lakeshore | Lee Fairclough | Liberal | President of St. Mary's General Hospital, Kitchener, senior vice-president of clinical care at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health | University of Toronto | 2025 | 1973 | ||
| Etobicoke North | _(cropped).jpg) | Doug Ford | Progressive Conservative | Toronto City Council | 2018 | 1964 | ||
| Humber River—Black Creek | Tom Rakocevic | NDP | Executive sssistant to Anthony Perruzza | 2018 | ||||
| Parkdale—High Park | Alexa Gilmour | NDP | Minister at Windermere United Church | University of Toronto | 2025 | |||
| Scarborough—Agincourt | Aris Babikian | Progressive Conservative | Citizenship judge | 2018 | ||||
| Scarborough Centre | David Smith | Progressive Conservative | Toronto Public School Trustee for Ward 19/17 Scarborough Centre | 2022 | ||||
| Scarborough—Guildwood | Andrea Hazell | Liberal | Founder of Winspire National Women's Network Foundation, president and chair of the Scarborough Business Association, chair of the Caribbean Philanthropic Council | Seneca Polytechnic | 2023 | |||
| Scarborough North | Raymond Cho | Progressive Conservative | Social Worker, Toronto City Council, chairman of the Toronto Zoo | University of Toronto (MSW, PhD) | 2016 | 1936 | ||
| Scarborough—Rouge Park | Vijay Thanigasalam | Progressive Conservative | Financial advisor | 2018 | 1989 | |||
| Scarborough Southwest | Doly Begum | NDP | Co-Chair of the Scarborough Health Coalition, vice-chair of Warden Woods Community Centre, research analyst | University of Toronto (BA), University College London (Master of Development, Administration & Planning) | 2018 | 1989 | ||
| Spadina—Fort York | Chris Glover | NDP | Adjunct professor at York University | 2018 | 1961 | |||
| Toronto Centre | Kristyn Wong-Tam | NDP | Toronto City Councillor for Ward 27 Toronto Centre-Rosedale, Toronto City Councillor for Ward 13 Toronto Centre | 2022 | 1971 | |||
| Toronto—Danforth |  | Peter Tabuns | NDP | Toronto City Council | York University (BA) | 2006 | 1951 | |
| Toronto—St. Paul's | Stephanie Smyth | Liberal | Broadcast journalist, communications consultant | 2025 | 1964 | |||
| University—Rosedale | Jessica Bell | NDP | Community organizer, lecturer at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University, director of the California Food & Justice Coalition, activist, executive director of TTCriders | 2018 | ||||
| Willowdale | Stan Cho | Progressive Conservative | Real estate broker, auditor | 2018 | ||||
| York Centre | Michael Kerzner | Progressive Conservative | Bioscience and technology entrepreneur | York University (BA) | 2022 | |||
| York South—Weston | Mohamed Firin | Progressive Conservative | Community opportunities advocate, special advisor to the Premier of Ontario | 2025 |